Rachel Templeton submitted a community comment re: technology usage. 

My understanding is that APS is developing a new technology policy, given the abundance of research on the harms of one-to one diveces/educational technology on student cognition, learning, and social emotional development. I've seen communications from other schools (Parkside, Mary Lin) that have clearly communicated the school-specific policy with a gudiing principle of reducing/eliminating the use of screens/chromebooks during free time, reward periods, or other noninstructional activities, setting clear daily screen time limits per grade, and encouraging the use of textbooks, novels, printed workbooks, or other physical instructional materials in place of digital resources whenever possible. I've also seen these schools do drives for activities/puzzles/games for classrooms to provide non-screen time related activities during inclement weather when outside recess is not possible. I would like to see a policy along these lines from Wesley, and would love to support the school leadership and staff to put a policy like this in place.

Board Chair stated school leadership will follow up with more information. 

Seneca Williams welcomed three new board members — Andy Odle, Jamie Wilson, and Nigel Walker — and recognized returning board members. He  introduced the board's executive committee, noting Raj Singh (Vice Chair), Reggie Moorman (Treasurer) and Jenn Ziemann (Secretary). He provided board meeting schedule (see attached) and highlighted committee meetings are open to the community. 

Jason Marshall opened his time thanking the broader school community as Wesley embarks on their 20th year this year. He specifically thanked the board, staff and community as this marks a tremendous milestone for the school. 55% of charter schools don't see this type of milestone and he is grateful the school is thriving, and is looking forward to the work in front of them.

He introduced his school leaders and staff present at the meeting: Brandon Lane (Middle School AP), Chris Wyatt (Operations), Donica Johnson (Student Services & Operations), Corliss Melvin (Director IT), Hassan Kariem (IT)  Rickeela Hudson (Registrar), Sonya Lowe (Front Office), Crystal Hudson (PYP AP K-2), Sean Finney (PYP 3-5), Ray Edwards (Principal), Rachel Goodman (Chief Academic Officer). 

Dr. Ray Edwards reported a strong and smooth start to the school year.  He highlighted the successful transition of kindergarteners to independent drop-off and commended Assistant Principals Ms. Hudson (K–2), Mr. Finney (3–5), and new hire Mr. Lane (transferring from Detroit) for their team leadership. He also recognized individual teachers, including Ms. Stanley (7th grade math) for already administering pre-assessments and grouping students for instruction, and Mrs. Ryan (1st grade), a former paraprofessional and student teacher now leading her own classroom, for establishing strong classroom routines. Dr. Edwards noted that full instruction across all grades and subjects, including Chinese/Spanish connections classes, will begin school-wide next week, with MAP testing scheduled for the week of August 24th. He closed with optimism for the remaining 178 days of the school year.

Rachel Goodman outlined her new role as Chief Academic Officer with a focus on:

• Partner to our principals, coaches, and teachers, connecting the day-to-day work in 
  classrooms to our larger academic vision across both IB programs
• Leadership in the core academic areas: curriculum, instruction, assessment, and 
  professional learning, aligned to our mission, IB framework, and school goals
• Work alongside principals, assistant principals, coaches, and teachers to support 
  instructional quality and a strong academic culture
• Build the systems and structures that support students and staff, from data and 
  progress monitoring to coaching and professional development
• Keep our academic work aligned with state, IB, and charter accountability 
  requirements, and share academic updates and data with the leadership team and board.   Key Priorities for the year include: 
• Strategic Plan: deepening the quality and consistency of Tier 1 instruction by building staff capacity in reading data during PLCs, formalizing walkthrough protocols, and establishing coaching cycles across the K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and signature-programs instructional coaches.
• Charter Renewal: monitor academic progress to ensure we are meeting charter goals, continue to build on essential program features: IB, STEM, and language programming.
• TSI: UDL professional learning, walkthrough scheduling and feedback cycles  

Lisa Price, CFO, welcomed community stakeholders, board members, and staff to the first board meeting of the year, reflecting on her 20 years with the school, including its early "crisis mode" years, and expressed pride that the school is now in a stage of thriving. She formally introduced two new business services team members: Sonya Lowe, part-time bookkeeper and primary liaison between staff and the business services department, and Donica Johnson, part-time business manager who will support overall school operations. She encouraged staff and board members to reach out with any needs. On financials, she reported no major updates, noting that summer is her team's busiest period as they close the books for FY26; she indicated the school performed better than projected for FY26 on an audited basis. Next steps include fulfilling reporting commitments to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and beginning work on the upcoming budget. She closed by welcoming new board members and Finance Committee members and expressing enthusiasm for the year ahead.

Donica Johnson explained Wesley's enrollment process, noting the school operates on a fully lottery-based system rather than zoned/zip-code enrollment. The application window opens in January, the lottery is conducted in March, and the school also runs an annual re-enrollment cycle for current families as required by its charter. Rather than sharing System of Record (Infinite Campus) figures, she shared physical head counts: approximately 770 students in the building on days one and two, up from about 707 at the same point last year — a positive trend, especially set against broader enrollment declines affecting schools and districts region-wide. She noted the school's maximum capacity is 824 students, with a target "sweet spot" of 800, and that another round of waitlist offers had gone out that day. She also highlighted Wesley Welcome Day (held Friday, July 31st) as a key event supporting enrollment completion, allowing families to meet teachers, drop off supplies, and finish registration. In response to a question from Andy Odle re: movement trends post Day One, she noted that normal enrollment fluctuation (historically 20–30 students in the first month pre-pandemic, more recently closer to 15–20) is expected in the first ten days as some students withdraw and others enroll, with numbers typically settling by the end of September. 

Alvin Sumter volunteered to be the Academic Excellence Committee Chair for the 2026-2027 school year; Bobby Little volunteered to be the Finance Committee Chair for the 2026-2027 school year.