Brighten Academy
Minutes
Brighten Academy Charter School Governing Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday April 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location
5897 Prestley Mill Rd
Douglasville, GA 30135
The Brighten Academy Governing Board will meet on Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6:00 pm, in the Media Center.
Directors Present
C. Claiborne, J. Smith, K. Moses, M. Vitale, S. Battle
Directors Absent
C. Burns Falker
Guests Present
A. Harris, C. Sparks, D. Davis, G. McGhee, K. Smith, S. Littles
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Adoption of Agenda
D.
Approval of Minutes
Minutes not published.
II. Public Comment
A.
Aknowledgment of Guests
B.
Public Comment
N/A
III. School Leadership Report
A.
Information Only
- Facilities Report
- 26-27 SY Contracts
- Enrollment Data
- 9 openings, 811 students enrolled
- Surplus
- 25 damaged Chromebooks, 3 lost books (March)
- AT LGPE Band received an Excellent Rating for Stage Performance and a Superior Rating for Sight Reading.
- Chorus received an Excellent rating for their performance at LGPE on Tuesday March 24th and Band will be at West Georgia Festival in Bremen Thursday March 26th.
- Student Council Update-Student Constitution and charter renewal
- Students engaged in a collaborative civics-based project in which they were tasked with developing a complete Student Council Constitution. The purpose of this activity was to build understanding of governance, leadership, and democratic processes in a developmentally appropriate way.
- To mirror real-world school governance structures, students were organized into committees, with each committee responsible for drafting a specific section of the constitution. The sections included:
- Preamble (Purpose) – Defined the mission and goals of the student council
- Membership – Outlined who can participate and expectations for involvement
- Officers & Roles – Described leadership positions and their responsibilities
- Meetings – Established how and when the council will meet
- Elections – Detailed the process for selecting student leaders
- Each committee worked collaboratively to draft its section, using guiding questions and structured worksheets to ensure clarity, completeness, and alignment with school values. This process emphasized student voice, teamwork, and accountability.
- The next phase of the project involves committee presentations, where each group will present its drafted section to the full Student Council. During this stage, peers will provide feedback, revisions may be suggested, and each section will be reviewed and approved through a collective process.
- Once all sections are approved, they will be compiled into a single, unified Student Council Constitution.
- Following assembly, students will engage in the amendment process, allowing them to propose improvements, practice structured debate, and experience how governing documents evolve over time.
B.
Voting Matters
Jamilia Smith made a motion to approve the 26-27 SY Contracts
IV. Executive Committee
A.
Requests for Proposals Update
Criteria has been created for voting purposes. Board Chair and Vice-Chair will move forward in the voting process once criteria has been reviewed.
B.
Leadership Development
Info Only: Board Chair shared 3-month cohort consideration proposal for ARC's Leadership Regional Institute program. The program is $3300. Jamilia has submitted her application and is asking for the support of the board.
Voting will take place at the next board meeting.
V. Finance Committee
A.
Finance Committee
Financials tabled until next board meeting.
VI. Governance Committee
A.
Info Only
Committee Chair, Shauncey, explained that communication will be sent out regarding policy h7 discussing service charges.
B.
Items for Vote
N/A
VII. Other Business
A.
Announcements
EOY Student Council wrap-up: May 6, 2026
Brighten Broadway Presents, Mean Girls, Jr: May 15-17, 2026
BACS 8th Grade graduation: May 20, 2026
B.
Executive Session
Discussed personal matter.
N/A