Brighten Academy
Minutes
Brighten Academy Charter School Governing Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday December 2, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Location
5897 Prestley Mill Rd, Douglasville, GA 30135
Greetings and Happy Holidays!
The Brighten Academy Governing Board will resume meeting on Monday, December 2, 2024, at 6pm.
Directors Present
C. Burns Falker, C. Claiborne, D. Carter, J. Smith, M. Vitale, R. Finan, R. Zackery, S. Battle
Directors Absent
K. Moses, N. Lord
Ex Officio Members Present
D. Davis
Non Voting Members Present
D. Davis
Guests Present
K. Bemus, K. Smith, S. Littles
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Adoption of Agenda
Approve agenda with ammendments presented to include removal of one policy vote and note taker.
D.
Approval of Minutes
II. Executive Director's Report
A.
Facilities Update
B.
Charter Report
Principal Davis shared an overview of report shared by AP Bemus, some highlights include:
- Max enrollment of 818
- 69 kindergarten; 16 matriculated
- 259 waitlisted
- Monthly staff meetings; weekly team meetings
- 17 board meetings; all required training completed
- All financial objectives met
Full report to be presented by AP Bemus
C.
Enrollment Update
Currently at 808 enrolled--have experienced a drop in enrollment; some reasons include moving and lack of athletic options.
New students still starting in December and January.
Staff continues to follow the policy for filling the vacant seats (8 open seats as of Jan. 25).
130 students students waitlisted as of December 24.
Additional general discussion around potential for expansion of Brighten as it relates to the growth of Douglas County at large.
D.
Surplus Data
III. Executive Committee
A.
Strategic Priority Teams
Chair Smith referenced the Strategic Project Teams:
- Safety & Discipline (4 board members)
- Academic Performance (4 board members)
- Staff Retention (4 board members)
- Organizational Structure & Effectiveness (4 board members)
- External Engagement (4 board members)
Chair Smith explained the purpose of these teams are to offer continuity and support as the Charter renewal approaches in areas of primary focus in coming alongside administration and in response to recent transitions.
Expectation of a monthly update from each team of status set. These are not replacements of committee work, this focus is on strategic priorities.
IV. Finance Committee
A.
Birdies Golf Tournament Update
Treasurer Zackery reviewed documents available to include: Save the Date, Tournament Outreach script, and Sponsorship/Golfer Information spreadsheet.
Expectation set for all board members to solicit golfers and sponsors using the resources provided.
Additional discussion around general details of the event and solicitation of participation.
B.
My Fun Run Fundraiser
Date is February 28, 2025 for event
Kickoff meeting January 10th
Chair Smith serving as account representative with FunRun
Target goal is 10K
Day of needs would be space and team support with administrative guidance on process of execution
Potential sign-up genius for parent volunteer support
Exact time TBD; potentially all day event.
Conversation around impact on instructional time.
V. Policy/Governance Committee
A.
Information Only: Policies Reviewed
VI. Other Business
A.
Upcoming County Events
Chair Smith shared upcoming events and encouraged participation as available.
Principal Davis shared confirmation of new thermostats replaced in building 1.