Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will be called to the order.

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.

Approval of Minutes from Aug 13, 2026

So that there is agreement between board members on the items and actions of the previous meeting, the board shall vote to approve the minutes.

Mission Statement

The meeting will begin by reading the mission statement:

Westside Atlanta Charter School 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, please limit your remarks to the public comment period of the agenda. We ask that you 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 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.

Public comment given by:

Parent and volunteer Van Hardimon:

What do I need to do to be on the board? Response will be via email.

Community Council Report

Community Council Co-Chair Olivia Hollis gave an update.

• Sparkles skate night tonight
• First teacher treat cart coming up
• Oct. 1 parent party at Chicheria

New Board Membership

The Board votes on a new candidate proposed for Board Membership.

School Leader Report

The Executive Director and principals reported on the status of the school.

• Staff Recognition for Sara Quinn for her accomplishments in the Goyen Literacy Fellowship, a national literacy fellowship that supports and amplifies the work of expert K–12 educators whose instructional practices reflect the science of reading and the science of learning. Fellowship Executive Director Katheryn Solow joined to discuss how Ms. Quinn contributed to skill building in this program, reaching hundreds of educators. "She is the epitome of what an excellent educator is. She is continuously finding ways to reach her students and accelerate their growth." Congratulations, Ms. Quinn! 
• Enrollment: 350 enrolled, invitations for open slots sent
• Student Attendance: 97.5% 

2026 GA Milestone Data Review given by Principals Powe and McKee

• ELA data is not available yet, expected in Dec.
• Math: Most grades improved YoY in Proficient + Distinguished, with the strongest gains in grades 3, 5, 8, and Algebra I.
• Science: Both tested grades improved YoY. 5th grade rose from 48% to 53% Proficient + Distinguished, while 8th grade jumped from 19% to 45%. 
• Social Studies: 8th grade improved YoY, with Proficient + Distinguished increasing from 7% in 2025 to 30% in 2026.

Draft of strategic plan (2027-2031) is in progress. Community sessions will be held in the future.

Finance Committee Report

• Monthly Financial update given by CFO William Arterberry
• Commended Ms. Perry for collecting afterschool fees
• Finished month above expectations
• Starting next week, all AR will come in
• Auditors completed field work 2 weeks ago, pending manager review
• Budget is due Sept. 17th, we'll finish ahead of schedule
• Cash reserves in a good place

Governance Committee Report

Governance Committee chair Ashley Pruitt gave monthly report.

• Leave policies updated according to new HB rules and changes discussed in prior meeting
• Discuss new nepotism policy defines what it is and how it applies to the school. We'll table the vote to adopt this policy.
• Weapons policy is in the pipeline
• Board training details are expected soon

Development Committee Report

Development Committee Chair Tiffany Chen gave monthly report.

• Operational requests supported by Business Partners
• Hardimon provided mobile volleyball court
• Monica Allen provided tents
• Community Outreach: In search of lead to be a steward between Westside and the community
• Development Committee is looking for new members
• Thank you to all who who helped bring the new playscape into being! Kudos to all who helped with the ribbon cutting!
• Boosterthon is coming Jan 20-29th

Executive Session

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

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 am