DeKalb Brilliance Academy

DeKalb Brilliance Academy Board Meeting

Published on May 21, 2025 at 10:25 PM EDT

Date and Time

Thursday May 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM EDT

Location

Add all membersAll meetings occur at the school's primary address: 2575A Snapfinger Road, Decatur, GA 30034. 

 

Register to attend online at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqd-2uqTIiHNbQk4Rtf5l6MoBLdAEPBC29

 

If you have any trouble attending a board meeting, call or text our Head of School, Jocelyn Alter, at 404-618-2242. 

Pre-work: familiarize yourself with meeting slides

Agenda

Section Number Topic Number Details Purpose Presenter Time
I. Opening Items 7:00 PM
  A. Record Attendance   Toby Egbuna 5 m
   

ADD CONNECTOR

 
  B. Call the Meeting to Order   Michael Freeland 1 m
   

The [MONTH] meting of the DeKalb Brilliance Academy Governing Board is called to order at [TIME].

 

Anyone that is here for public comment, please indicate by signing up on the clipboard in the back OR in the chat in zoom by X:10 PM if you would like to make a comment. We will have two minutes for each speaker, in the order in which we receive the request to comment.

 
  C. Approve April meeting minutes Approve Minutes Toby Egbuna 2 m
     
II. Meeting opening 7:08 PM
  A. Mission and Vision FYI Michael Freeland 3 m
   

Our mission: With unwavering commitment to exceptional academics, leadership development, and community collaboration, DeKalb Brilliance Academy prepares all Kindergarten-8th grade students to thrive in high school and college, have fulfilling careers, and become impactful leaders in our communities.

 

Our vision: Each child will know and leverage their unique brilliance to critically analyze the world around them and to design a better and more equitable future.

 
  B. Board Commitments FYI Michael Freeland 2 m
   
  • Build excellence: We know that an excellent school starts with an excellent founding team. We come to our time together well-prepared, fulfill our commitments, and generate new ideas to accomplish our goals.
  • Stay engaged: We stay engaged by “remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue.”
  • Embrace disagreement: We value disagreement and agree to bring issues into the open. It is through dialogue, even when uncomfortable, that we grow as a team to best serve our students.
  • Take responsibility for intent and impact: We assume best intent, and also take responsibility for the impact of our actions.
  • Process, not the people: We know that everyone is working hard for the team, and look first at how to change the process, policies, or plans when we don’t reach our goals.
 
  C. Public Comment FYI Michael Freeland 10 m
   

 

If people sign up:

  • Transparency: Board meetings are a public forum to provide transparency into the governance of the school. Engagement from the community is strongly encouraged and vital to that governance. We value and appreciate the input from our community members. As we proceed with public comments, we would like to remind everyone of the following guidelines:
  • Time Limit: A total of 30 minutes shall be set aside for public comment.  Each speaker will have a maximum of 2 minutes to speak.  A speaker may not sign up to speak more than once during the same public comment period
  • Board Action: The board cannot respond to public comment in the meeting, and in general needs to listen, and then follow up after the board meeting, this is because the board acts through policies and votes as a governing body, not through individuals, so we cannot respond until the board has the information to respond as a group (as opposed to individually), as applicable. We understand this can feel awkward, but please know that we are taking careful notes and take all feedback to the board seriously. The board will direct an appropriate committee or the Head of Schools to engage in responding at a later time as necessary and appropriate.
  • Scope of discussion: Please be aware that certain topics cannot be discussed during the public comment period. These include, but are not limited to, pending investigations or legal matters, personnel matters, confidential student information and matters, and issues that are subject to ongoing grievance or complaint procedures. Any attempt to discuss these topics during public comment will not be permitted.
  • Discourse: Speakers are encouraged to maintain decorum and present their comments in a civil manner.  The Governing Board reserves the right to request any speaker engaging in defamatory comments to cease. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in adhering to these guidelines.
  • Any disruptive members of the public will be asked to cease their disruption to allow the Board meeting to continue. If the disruption continues, the disruptive member will be asked to leave the meeting.
  • Start public comment: “the order we have for public comment is XYZ”

If people do not sign up: “seeing no requests for public comment, we will move to the next section of our agenda”

 
III. Committee Updates 7:23 PM
  A. Abbreviated Committee Updates Discuss Michael Freeland 2 m
   
  • Governance: all new board members accepted positions!
  • Academics: no updates this month
  • Partnerships:  
    • We’ve fundraised $10,555 toward board commitment of $16,500. 
    • Very important that 100% of board members:
      • reach their commitment AND
      • make meaningful personal donation (many funders as this to measure the board’s support of the school). 
    • Only 1 month remains to secure your $1,500 per board member.

 

See slides here

 


 




 

 
IV. Finance 7:25 PM
  A. Finance Committee Update FYI Quentin Johnson 20 m
   

Review April financials (presentation and details)

 

LFMS-to-SCSC supplement proportionality/funding equity discussion

 

See slides here

 
V. Facility 7:45 PM
  A. Facilities Taskforce FYI Brian Howell 5 m
   
  • See slides here and see full May owner’s report here


 

 
VI. School Leadership Report Out 7:50 PM
  A. School Leader Report Out FYI Jocelyn Alter 10 m
   

See slides here

 
  B. Staff Advisory report out FYI Blake Miller 2 m
   

See slides here

 
  C. Family Advisory report out FYI 2 m
   

See slides here

 
VII. Board Votes
VIII. Board Vote 8:04 PM
  A. FY26 Budget Vote Jocelyn Alter 10 m
  B. Adjacent Land Parcel Deposit Vote Brian Howell 5 m
IX. Closing Items 8:19 PM
  A. Team shoutouts Discuss Michael Freeland 5 m
   

Align shutouts to board agreements:

  • Build excellence: We know that an excellent school starts with an excellent founding team. We come to our time together well-prepared, fulfill our commitments, and generate new ideas to accomplish our goals.
  • Stay engaged: We stay engaged by “remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue.”
  • Embrace disagreement: We value disagreement and agree to bring issues into the open. It is through dialogue, even when uncomfortable, that we grow as a team to best serve our students.
  • Take responsibility for intent and impact: We assume best intent, and also take responsibility for the impact of our actions.
  • Process, not the people: We know that everyone is working hard for the team, and look first at how to change the process, policies, or plans when we don’t reach our goals.
 
  B. Meeting feedback survey FYI Michael Freeland 5 m
   

Fill out survey here

 
  C. Adjourn Meeting FYI Michael Freeland
   

Now we will adjourn our board business. 

 

As a reminder, we don’t need a motion to close - I will just ask if there is any further business, and if there is none, we can adjourn board business. Do we have any further board business to discuss? 

 

<Pause> 

 

Seeing none, I adjourn official board business.