Brighten Academy
Minutes
Brighten Academy Charter School Governing Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday March 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location
5897 Prestley Mill Rd
Douglasville, GA 30135
The Brighten Academy Governing Board will meet on Monday, March 23, 2026 at 6:00 pm, in the Media Center.
Directors Present
C. Burns Falker, C. Claiborne, J. Smith, M. Vitale
Directors Absent
K. Moses, S. Battle
Guests Present
C. Sparks, D. Davis, K. Smith, S. Littles
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
J. Smith called a meeting of the board of directors of Brighten Academy to order on Monday Mar 23, 2026 at 6:15 PM.
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Adoption of Agenda
J. Smith made a motion to Approve agenda.
M. Vitale seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
D.
Approval of Minutes
J. Smith made a motion to approve the minutes from Brighten Academy Charter School Governing Board Meeting on 03-09-26.
C. Claiborne seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Public Comment
A.
Aknowledgment of Guests
B.
Public Comment
K. Sanders of Douglasville, GA shared concerns around unethical behaviors.
III. School Leadership Report
A.
Information Only
PTO Updates
- Kinder and 8th graduation pictures tomorrow, March 24
- PTO updates will come through the Principal's weekly newsletter
- Tuesday, April 14th meeting will be virtual.
Dr. Littles
- Leadership goal: Focus on Adult Crew; caring for yourselves as adults in order to strengthen culture.
- There is a need to include parents on core values to provide a consistent learning environment for the students.
- Shared usage and performance numbers for i-Ready
- For accountability, school leadership made the data accessible to teachers which enhanced theor perspective on how i-Ready is being leveraged.
- MS has a harder time adjusting to small group.
- For elemetary, collaboration is shaping how i-Ready will continue to be used in each grade level.
AP Sparks
- Physical contact
- Disruption
- Defiance
- Fighting
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Admin team noted support teachers need around classroom management to de-escaate situations in the classroom. Empowered staff to create better relationships with parents.
- Month of Feb., attendance was at 96% and increased to 97% in March.
B.
Voting Matters
J. Smith made a motion to Approve February surplus.
C. Burns Falker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
C. Claiborne made a motion to Approve Instructional.
M. Vitale seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Smith |
Aye
|
| C. Burns Falker |
Abstain
|
| S. Battle |
Absent
|
| K. Moses |
Absent
|
| M. Vitale |
Aye
|
| C. Claiborne |
Aye
|
J. Smith made a motion to Approve title change from PEC Specialist to Special Ed Lead Teacher.
C. Burns Falker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
IV. Executive Committee
A.
Requests for Proposals Update
Brighten received three submissions and interviewed all three companies.
B.
Executive Director Resignation
J. Smith made a motion to Ratify resignation.
C. Claiborne seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
C.
Brighten Academy Athletics
All Brighten Academy athletics are to be governed by the Brighten Academy Athletic Department, and not the "Brighten Athletics" booster organization. Therefore, all student athlete fees are to be paid directly to the school, NOT the booster organizations.
V. Finance Committee
A.
Finance Committee
C. Claiborne made a motion to Approve Jan. financials.
M. Vitale seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
B.
Birdies Fore Brighten
C. Claiborne made a motion to Cancel repurpose the resources for better use for our community and school.
M. Vitale seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
VI. Governance Committee
A.
Info Only
Elections
- On track
Policies tabled
- F20- Personnel Layoffs
- H-7- Lunch Balance
- D4-E3:
- G2
- G2R1- tabled for further discussion
B.
Items for Vote
M. Vitale made a motion to Approve policy changes.
C. Claiborne seconded the motion.
-F22
-F23
-F25
VII. 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 9:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
J. Smith
Acknowledged guests