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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.

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”

A motion is not required to approve the consent agenda, we just need to see if there is any discussion, questions or objections before the agenda is considered for approval. 

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.

• 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.

Updates: 

• Strategic planning timeline
• Board focus group for strategic plan: evening zoom call on Thursday, September 26

Vote needed: 

Updated paid parental leave policy to incorporate new Georgia paid parental leave law and increase equity:

• creates equitable policy for all parents (removed distinction between birthing and non-birthing parents). 
• clarifies that two parents working at the same school may only take *combined* 12 week period
• reduces eligibility period from requiring 12 months employment to requiring 6 months employment 
• Paid Parental Leave (PPL) under Georgia law allows 240 hours (30 days) of paid leave in a 365-day period, regardless of the number of qualifying events. PPL runs concurrently with FMLA if the employee qualifies for both. However, if they are only eligible for PPL, it can be taken intermittently.

Suggested motion language: I move that the Board of Directors of DeKalb Brilliance Academy approve the revised Paid Parental Leave Policy as presented.

Updates: 

• Clean audit for FY24 with no findings
• Working to complete transition of treasurer duties from Chawn to Quentin. 
• Finance Committee is reviewing July and August financials together at 9/26 committee meeting
• Question for Board: if we moved board meetings to the last week of the month, you could see the previous month’s financials instead of having a two month lag. Gauge level of interest in this move. 

Updates: Each committee member meeting with DBA staff 1:1 to move forward their projects:

• (Tareva leads) Develop "Indicators of Success" dashboard with a focus on academic and operational indicators [aligned to the annual SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework (CPF) and charter contract goals] to guide continuing efforts for excellence, growth, and sustainability.
• (Mesha leads) Middle school model: Develop and formally approve a community co-designed middle school model by July 2025.
• (Curtis leads) Leadership team evaluation: Implement Head of School evaluation system in compliance with LKES.

Updates: 

• Corporate sponsorship: conversations started with Delta & Porsche at corporate level, and at Chick-fil-a and Walmart at store/grassroots level. 
• Fundraising events: 
  • Commerce Club event tentatively scheduled for November 7th. Board members will be able to sell $50 tickets to contribute to their annual fundraising goal. 
  • Silent Auction will be planned for summer 2025 to 
• Board individual fundraising: Working to launch materials for board members by October or November, and then will do mid-point check on fundraising goal in January. 
• Board individual PBL partner recruitment: Working to recruit semester 1 partners by end of September!

Board workshop tonight will be on sourcing corporate sponsorship contacts and silent auction items. 

Updates:

• Underwriting moving forward for most favorable financing scenario, including school visit with staff, student, leadership & board interviews Wednesday. 
• Contract with May 1 completion date for DeKalb County sewer capacity timeline approved by DeKalb County.
• Exercising 2nd/final extension (is $5,000 in additional cost so does not require board vote)
   

Vote needed: 

• Reimbursement resolution: 
  • To pay for this project, the school plans to take out a $24 million loan from Equitable Facilities Fund, which is supported by bonds issued by an Arizona authority. This resolution allows the school to be reimbursed from the bond proceeds for any project-related expenses already incurred within 60 days before this resolution and up to 18 months afterward.
  • Additionally, the loan will be used to pay off a predevelopment loan taken earlier for this project.
  • The Board is voting to approve this arrangement, which has been drafted by DBA’s counsel and reviewed by DBA’s facilities consultants and includes the reimbursement and loan process.
• Suggested motion language: I move that the Board of Directors of DeKalb Brilliance Academy approve the reimbursement resolution as presented.

See slides here. 

• Corporate Partner Contact Generation
• Silent Auction Sourcing

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.

Fill out survey here

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.