Liberation Academy
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday January 27, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Directors Present
D. Hunter (remote), J. Cook (remote), K. Copeland (remote), K. Scott (remote), T. Reynolds (remote), V. Thomas (remote)
Directors Absent
M. Mehta
Guests Present
Astra Armstrong (remote), B. King (remote), T. Anderson (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
V. Thomas called a meeting of the board of directors of Liberation Academy to order on Tuesday Jan 27, 2026 at 6:03 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
K. Scott made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 12-16-25.
V. Thomas seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from SY25-26 Budget Hearing on 12-16-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from Called Meeting on 08-21-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 08-12-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from Called Meeting on 06-24-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from SY25-26: Budget Hearing on 06-10-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from SY25-26: Budget Hearing on 05-13-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from Emergency Board Meeting Tuesday May 6th 6:30pm on 05-06-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
V. Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes from Special Called Meeting: Liberation Academy on 04-01-25.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| M. Mehta |
Absent
|
| J. Cook |
Aye
|
| K. Copeland |
Aye
|
| D. Hunter |
Absent
|
| V. Thomas |
Aye
|
| T. Reynolds |
Aye
|
| K. Scott |
Aye
|
II. Governance
A.
Board Updates
B.
Vote New Board Member(s)
K. Copeland made a motion to Elect Vince Thomas as board chair effective immediately.
K. Scott seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
III. Executive Director's Report
A.
Operations Update
- Operational Performance "Meets Standards".
- Enrollment: 11 new students in January.
- Capacity: Comfortable max is approximately 195 students; current enrollment is capped.
B.
Academics Update
- MAP data: 76% of students met/exceeded growth targets.
- ANET data (December): 8th grade ELA received special recognition; 7th grade math outperformed peer schools.
- Second ANET round next week.
- STEAM initiatives: PBL Showcases; 5th and 7th grade projects.
C.
Culture Report
Vaping is a repeated concern, prompting plans for external education.
D.
School Leader Report and Progress Towards Strategic Goals
- 13 staff members have stated they intend to return for 26-27 year.
- CPF Report: 2024-2025
IV. Finance
A.
Monthly Update and Review
- Projected FY26 Net Deficit: $29K - $52K improvement from prior forecast driven by expense reduction and budget realignment.
- Cash position: $491K ending cash (56 days cash on hand) as of 12/31/2025; projected $455K (53 days cash on hand) at year-end.
- Highlights: expense discipline and staffing optimization.
- Continue to watch federal grant timing and end-of-year spending.
V. Other Business
A.
Executive Session
K. Copeland made a motion to Move to Executive Session.
V. Thomas seconded the motion.
7:15pm
K. Copeland made a motion to End Executive Session.
V. Thomas seconded the motion.
7:22pm
B.
Public Comment
No public comments.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:23 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
V. Thomas
Interviews taking place for new board members. Accepting nominations for vice chair. The Finance, Facilities, and Governance committees will be formed.