Brighten Academy
Minutes
Brighten Academy Charter School Governing Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday November 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Location
Brighten Academy
The Brighten Academy Governing Board will meet on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 6:00 pm, in the Media Center.
Directors Present
C. Claiborne, J. Smith, K. Moses, S. Battle
Directors Absent
C. Burns Falker, M. Vitale
Ex Officio Members Present
T. Pugh
Non Voting Members Present
T. Pugh
Guests Present
C. Sparks, D. Davis, K. Bemus, K. Smith, S. Littles
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Adoption of Agenda
Removed Board recruitment from the agenda
CREW Commitment Award moved to Exec Session
D.
Approval of Minutes
II. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
III. Executive Director's Report
A.
ED Report and Updates
Facilities Report:
- Roof leaf quote from Ben Hill is $15,539 (quote in hand)
- Lighting from NZLED is $4,696 (quote in hand)
- Flooring (quote pending)
- Painting (quote pending)
- Site and Parking (quote pending)
- HVAC 3 rooftop units (quote pending)
Known cost with quotes in hand: $27,801
Enrollment Data
Enrollment of 818 not met: currently at 804
Discussed Strategic Plan highlights: Anchored in Excellence (2026-2030). The new plan is focused on achieving higher proficiency across four key goal areas including:
- Teaching and Learning
- Culture and Climate
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Leadership and Governance
B.
Items for Vote
IV. Executive Committee
A.
Executive Committee Meeting
Next Executive Committee Meeting: November 17th
B.
Governance & Charter Renewal Readiness
Discussed exploring additional 3rd party support for the Charter Renewal.
A committee will be formed to support the Charter Renewal.
C.
Organizational Health & Leadership Capacity
A climate check survey to staff will open on December 1st.
Our climate survey has been at a 3 since 2018
A parent survey was discussed to get a climate check on parents.
Discussed the upcoming, developing, food pantry.
D.
Board Recruitment
Moved to Executive Session
V. Finance Committee
A.
Finance Committee
Treasurer discussed financials. Budget amendment is in progress for the FTE count.
YTD cash-on-hand: $4.72 million
163 days cash-on-hand.
VI. Policy/Governance Committee
A.
Board Elections SOP
ad-hoc committee created to work on Elections.
Election process (information purposes only):
- suggested amendments to the election process
- SOP- review and selection committee
- Timeline for the election process. Start in February and end in April
B.
Elections Bylaws Amendment
Amendments to the bylaws surrounding Elections will be in writing. It will follow the same current process, just more streamlined.
VII. Other Business
A.
Introduction: Leadership Legacy Award
Student Body President, Tia Smith presented the Leadership Legacy Award initiative.
Leadership Legacy Award: Starting in Spring '27.
- The purpose is to highlight an 8th grader who exhibits exceptional student leadership.
- Will support the school climate and how to stand out amongst other schools.
- Will provide a sense of community and pride.
2026-2027: Implementation and selection
Spring 2027 will be recognized at the 8th graduation ceremony. Nominations will come from students and staff.
B.
Executive Session
Made a motion to approve the employee resignation effective 12/5/2025
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Announcements
- Fall Board Assessment is available on BOT
- Douglas County Young Professionals are having a financial workshop on November 6th at the Douglas County Chamber.
- Mock Trails pre-tournament will be on November 6 at 4: 30pm.
- The Charter Report and Audit was submitted successfully.
No public comment