Respond with either “Present” or “Virtually Present”. If a Board member is “Absent”, the Board Chair will respond “Absent” on their behalf, respectively. The presence of six (6) voting Board members will establish quorum.

1. Charles Frazier, Board Chair & Governance Committee Chair
2. LaTarsha White, Board Vice Chair
3. Daniel Kadeba, Board Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
4. Patricia Pryor, Board Secretary
5. Brian Bradshaw, Board Member
6. Chris Hill, Interim Development Committee Chair
7. Dexter Peterson, Academic Excellence Committee Chair
8. Tatyana Polite, Board Member
9. Loni Vazquez-Hall, Board Member
10. Jeremy Sager, Founder & Executive Director

The Novus SMART Academy (K-8) Board of Directors values community input and provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the Board during regular Board meetings. This policy establishes clear, fair, and consistent procedures to ensure public comments are conducted in an orderly, respectful, and efficient manner while allowing the Board to fulfill its governance responsibilities.

• Please see our Public Comment Policy Here: Click Here
• Please see our Public Comment Request Form Here: Click Here

Enrollment and Recruitment Updates: Click Here

• The application cycle will begin on October 1, 2026. 
• Year 1 Enrollment: 92 Kinders, 48 First Graders, and 48 Second Graders. 
  • We need at least 288 applications (144 in Kinder; 72 in first; and 72 in 2nd). 
  • Founding Director of Operations & Finance will begin this work during onboarding in July 2026. 
• We will ramp up on community engagement and we will need your support and presence.
• Smyrna's Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 20th (see calendar invite).
  • Group A Volunteers (1-5 PM CT): Patricia, Brian, Charles, Loni, Jeremy
  • Group B Volunteers (5-9 PM CT): Dexter, Jeremy

Academic Performance and Instructional Highlights

• We are in the final stages of selecting curriculum resources from the Official Lists of Textbooks and Instructional Materials approved by the Tennessee Department of Education.
• We are prioritizing high-quality, standards-aligned materials that support deep thinking, literacy across content areas, and early college and career exposure.
• This work ensures that when we open, we are not building academics in real time, we are executing a fully developed, mission-aligned instructional program from day one.

Culture and Community Engagement Updates

• This remains a critical area of focus and ongoing development.
• While foundational ideas and expectations for school culture are established, full execution will be driven by our founding leadership team once onboarded.
• We are intentionally pacing this work to ensure it is not built in isolation, but rather co-constructed with the leaders responsible for implementing it daily.
• Our vision remains centered on a strong, structured, and supportive culture grounded in character education, restorative practices, and high expectations for all scholars.
• Moving forward, we will prioritize building a clear culture playbook, aligned systems for behavior and family engagement, and consistent community presence.
• This is not delayed work, it is sequenced work, ensuring the right people are leading it at the right time for long-term sustainability.

Staffing and Talent Updates

• Our Founding Director of Operations & Finance will begin on July 6, 2026, providing immediate leadership in student recruitment and enrollment, financial planning, systems development, and operational readiness.
• We have established a clear onboarding timeline for additional founding leadership:
  • Founding Dean of School Culture and Community Engagement (January 4, 2027)
  • Founding Dean of Academics and Scholar Access (January 4, 2027)
  • Founding Operations Manager (April 5, 2027)
• This staggered approach ensures we are financially responsible while also bringing leaders in with enough runway to deeply prepare for launch.
• Our focus remains on recruiting leaders who embody the Ideal Team Player framework (hungry, humble, and smart) and who are fully committed to the demands of building a high-performing school from the ground up.
• We are building a team that is not just qualified, but aligned, resilient, and capable of executing at a high level in a startup environment.

Facilities and Operations Updates

• We are still working to secure 250 Country Village Drive, Smyrna, Tennessee 37167 (Bargain Hunt). 
• Matter Real Estate and Metropolis Real Estate Services are making progress.  
• Securing the right facility remains our top operational priority, as it directly impacts enrollment, staffing, and overall readiness.
• Matter Real Estate led the RFP process to conduct an initial feasibility and municipal review. There were submissions (see the attachments below). 

Good intentions don’t change communities. Deliberate and consistent commitments do!

Academic Excellence Committee Work Session Summary

Date: May 5, 2026

Time: 6:30–8:00 PM CT (Called to order at 6:42 PM)

The Committee met to ensure academic readiness for Novus SMART Academy’s Day 1 launch. The agenda and April minutes were approved. Members reviewed Year 1–5 academic success metrics, the Early Literacy & Numeracy Acceleration model, and the daily instructional schedule, including July benchmark testing. Curriculum selections across all subjects were confirmed, with an emphasis on free, standards‑aligned resources until the permanent facility is secured.

• Review of Goals: Click Here
• Early Literacy & Numeracy Acceleration Initiative (K-2): Click Here
• K-5 Academic Schedule: Click Here
• 2027-2028 Academic Calendar: Click Here

The Committee discussed supports for diverse learners (SEI, RTI2‑A, SWD), school culture systems, and key academic dashboard metrics for Board oversight.

Enrollment projections, anticipated demographics, and community‑based recruitment strategies were reviewed. Risks related to enrollment and academic readiness were identified to consider preventative measures. 

The Committee will recruit one additional member (preferably a parent with recruitment/advocacy experience) and will prioritize community engagement, uniforms, and branding in upcoming meetings. Communication will transition to GroupMe, and members will complete pre‑work to maximize meeting efficiency.

Development Committee Report: Click Here

Finance Committee Report: Click Here

Governance Committee Report: See attached below

The following Board member positions are open: 

1. Academic Excellence (1 opening; will fill this position no later than February 2028)
2. Development (2 immediate openings)
3. Finance (1 immediate opening)

Review the roles and responsibilities for the Board of Directors and Committees as follows:

• Board of Directors: Click Here
• Academic Excellence Committee: Click Here
• Development Committee: Click Here
• Finance Committee: Click Here
• Governance Committee: Click Here

Please review the proposed Board of Directors Annual Calendars: Click Here

Ongoing review of Bylaws: Click Here

• Matter Real Estate weekly meeting begins on Thursday, June 4th at 12:00 PM CT. Please join as often as you can to stay updated on our facilities process. 
• Our June 2026 In-Person Board Meeting is on Saturday, June 27th at 9:15-11:30 AM CT at the Smyrna Public Library, 400 Enon Springs Road West, Smyrna, Tennessee 37167.
• Closing Reflections & Adjournment