Westside Atlanta Charter School

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Thursday June 13th, 2024 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Jessica Weissinger not present member
Jonathan Baker present member On Time At Adjournment
Rebecca Ellis not present member
Julius Farrington present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Douglas McRae present chair On Time At Adjournment
Hannah Heck present member On Time At Adjournment
Sumhr Giboney present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Ashley Pruitt present member On Time At Adjournment
Chris Tuten present member On Time At Adjournment
Katrina Mitchell present member On Time At Adjournment
Alyson West present member On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will be called to the order.

Motion to call meeting to order.

By: Sumhr Giboney Seconded by: Ashley Pruitt

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.

Motion to approve agenda as presented.

By: Chris Tuten Seconded by: Alyson West

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

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

Community Council Report

Community Council Co-Chair gives an update.


Update given by Mu Roberts, parent and interim Co-chair.


  • Actively recruiting for a Co-chair
  • Working on recruitment pipeline
  • Actively seeking room parents
  • Dojo and newsletter announcements will be made to advertise openings


School Leader Report

The school leader reports on the status of the school.


Enrollment update.

Currently at 358 with 2 seats remaining


New hires:

  1. Tenecia Powe - K-4 Principal 
  2. Yolanda McKee - PBL Coordinator
  3. Bernestine Todd - Custodian II
  4. Jasmine Ransom - CREATE Teacher for 2nd grade
  5. Luis Calderon - Custodial Lead 

Board votes to affirm the new hires.


Board Leadership:

  1. Jessica Weissigner has volunteered to serve as Vice Chair.

Board votes to affirm Jessica as Vice Chair.

Motion to adjust agenda

By: Julius Farrington Seconded by: Sumhr Giboney

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to approve the 5 candidates as the slate of new hires for WACS

By: Julius Farrington Seconded by: Sumhr Giboney

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Governance Committee Report

  • Board FAQ & Recruitment Letter overview. Both will be placed on the website and in the newsletter. Questions will be added to FAQ as needed in response to school community questions.
  • Q3 Policy Review - Student Due Process procedures
  • Stylistic changes to reflect current roles
  • 2024 Board Retreat - Date proposals will be sent out for a planning retreat this summer.
  • Reminder for annual self-assessment forms to be completed by Board
  • Board leadership change: Jessica Weissinger

Motion to approve changes to the Student Due Process procedure

By: Ashley Pruitt Seconded by: Sumhr Giboney

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to vote in Jessica Weissinger as the WACS Vice Chair for the board

By: Jonathan Baker Seconded by: Chris Tuten

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Development Committee Report

Development Committee gives monthly report.


  • Fundraising policy draft in circulation
  • Facilities update-Gym concession area upgrades and way-finding signage, athletic field improvements investigations
  • 10-Year celebration-August celebration in planning stages
  • Business Partner Program recruiting has begun



The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:10 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Julius Farrington Seconded by: Alyson West

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Finance Committee Report

  • Monthly financials review
  • Salary/APS update
  • Presentation of the 2024-2025 Budget (Budget hearing #1)
  • Future budget planning and funding reductions





Motion to re-affirm the preliminary budget for salaries/contracts

There was no notable discussion on the motion.