ZEST Preparatory Academy Charter School
Minutes
Finance Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Monday March 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Location
Due to inclement weather, the meeting will be hosted virtually.
Committee Members Present
B. Jones (remote), C. James (remote), H. Ridley (remote), R. Palmer (remote)
Committee Members Absent
S. Rankin
Guests Present
Candy Yu (remote), Lisa McDonald (remote), M. Carruthers (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| R. Palmer |
Aye
|
| S. Rankin |
Absent
|
| C. James |
Aye
|
| B. Jones |
Aye
|
| H. Ridley |
Aye
|
II. Finance
A.
Financial Overview & Updates
B.
FY26 Budget Amendment
The Board will conduct an FY26 budget amendment. Two public meetings will be held. The first meeting is scheduled to occur in April.
C.
FY26 Staffing and Contracts
The finance team discussed FY26 staffing and contract needs through the end of the 2025-2026 academic school year. An expected administrative transition will occur effective 3.31.2026. The finance team also discussed a contract for a substitute administrator to support school operations.
D.
Specialized Services
The contract Director of Specialized Services is working with GaDOE to support all corrective action planning, inclusive of compensatory services agreements.
E.
Closure Budget
Closure budget planning is underway. The CFO and administrative team will work alongside the closure monitor in determining an adequate budget to present to the finance committee.
F.
Policy Updates
The Board discussed potential updates to the Leave Policy and Bylaws. Policy update recommendations will be shared with the commitee.
III. Facilities
A.
Facility Planning — FY26 & FY27
The Board and CFO have communicated the closure the building owners, 22Beacon.
The CFO shared the February financials. Current Days Cash on Hand: 58; Anticipated End of Year Cash on Hand 31 Days. A closure budget will be completed in collaboration with the closure monitor.