Westside Atlanta Charter School

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Thursday May 8th, 2025 @7:00 AM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Jonathan Baker not present member
Hannah Heck not present member
Ashley Pruitt present member On Time At Adjournment
Chris Tuten present member On Time At Adjournment
Alyson West present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Julius Farrington present member On Time At Adjournment
Tiffany Chen present member On Time At Adjournment
Jessica Weissinger present chair On Time At Adjournment
Katrina Mitchell present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Susan Beckett-Mitchell present member On Time At Adjournment
Erika Williams present member On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will be called to the order.

Approval of Minutes from Apr 17, 2025

Approve the minutes as submitted

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Julius Farrington

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approval of Agenda

So that there is agreement between board members on the agenda, and the amount of time spent on the meeting, the board shall vote to approve an agenda for the meeting. To the best of its ability, it will follow that agenda, and allow for the chair to move the board through the agenda as specified.

Approve the agenda as submitted

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Julius Farrington

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Mission Statement

The meeting will begin with a reading of the school's mission statement:


Westside fosters a diverse, tight knit community of lifelong learners, giving each child an excellent academic experience that builds curiosity, critical thinking, and character.

Public Comment

The WACS Board would like to welcome students, parents, staff and community members. In order to facilitate an efficient meeting, if you would like to offer comments please limit your remarks to the public comment period of the agenda. We would ask that sign up on the sign up sheet and limit your comments to 3 minutes. Finally, we ask that you not include comments that reference individual students (other than your own). If you need to reference a specific student, you may do so in writing to governance@wacs.us where the board can protect student privacy. We understand that after the public comment period, you may have questions/comments regarding topics that are discussed during the meeting. Please direct those questions to governance@wacs.us. The Board may not address comments/questions after the public comment period. However, we will work with the school administration to provide a prompt response to your email.


If you have a grievance, we would ask that you follow the board policy of starting first with the lowest level of authority as that is almost always the place where change can happen most effectively. Any grievance directed to the attention of the board, should be sent to governance@wacs.us. We thank you for your cooperation. At this time, we would like to open the floor to public comment.



No public comment was made.

School Leader Report

The school leader reports on the status of the school.


  • Enrollment update for 25/26 school year: 365
  • Letters sent to fill the few waitlist slots available
  • Office of Charter and Partner Schools visit recap and timing of School Compliance Report
  • National Charter School Institute Conference: Two Westside students were invited by Shonda Goldsmith (from OCPS) to participate in a panel and the Westside dace team will perform at the conference
  • Out Teach update: Design and Dine event went well and planning is underway
  • Approval of new staff hires as presented by Dr. Tanner, for 5th/6th grade science and 2nd grade

Approve new staff hires for 2025-26 school year as presented by Dr. Tanner.

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Katrina Mitchell

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Development Committee Report

Development Committee gives monthly report.


  • Subcommittees and in place
  • Business Partner breakfast planning (Oct. 2nd)
  • Boosterthon, community outreach, and comms are in planning
  • Special thanks to Ebony Tolbert for securing Teacher Appreciation sponsors!


Executive Session

Entering into executive session for purpose of discussing periodic personnel evaluations.

Motion to enter into Executive Session for periodic personnel evaluation

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Ashley Pruitt

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to end executive session

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Alyson West

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 am

Motion to adjourn

By: Jessica Weissinger Seconded by: Ashley Pruitt

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Community Council Report

Community Council Co-Chair gives an update.


  • Glow Party had an amazing turn out in attendance and parent volunteers.
  • Teacher Appreciation Week went well and the committee is planning for next year's leadership.
  • All committees chairs are in place and Room Parent assignment will happen closer to August
  • Transition plans complete for next year
  • Additional teacher celebrations in store for next year!


Public Thank You to Laura Spoo for her time and energy given to Community Council over the last few years!

Finance Committee Report

Monthly Financial update given by CFO, William Arterberry.

  • Finished above budget expectations
  • Investment accounts are stable
  • Facilities grant funding is in
  • Federal grant spending is on track
  • Final allotment from APS pending
  • Budget projections for next year from APS pending
  • WACS annual audit planning meeting took place this week
  • June 11th preliminary audit, Aug. 15 final audit
  • Update on next year's meal payments
  • Explore Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed (ALICE) data
  • Westside University and Power Up enrollment is going well, staffing is full and fee collection is current.

Governance Committee Report

Governance Committee gives monthly report.


  • Board training hours are due June 1st
  • Full board training went well last month