Wesley International Academy's charter is renewed by APS

Monday night was historic for Wesley International Academy as the Atlanta Public Schools’ Board of Education approved the school’s charter for a second 5-year term.

Wesley is an Atlanta Public Schools charter school that follows guidelines set by the International Baccalaureate Organization’s Primary Years and Middle Years programs. It also has an extensive Mandarin Chinese program.

The charter renewal is highly significant for Wesley and its students. The school can now enter into longer-term educational research and collaborative partnerships, the odds have increased for more funding opportunities, and it positions the school more strongly in its search for a more adequate facility.

Wesley is under a 1-year lease on its current building at Custer and Woodland avenues. Because of the charter renewal, the school’s board of directors will now look at its long-term building options.

"Our school has trudged up the rough side of the mountain, in a complicated environment for public charter schools,” said Kamau Bobb, chair of WIA’s board of directors. “Our success is a testament to our collective fortitude.  All of us – parents, faculty, staff, friends of WIA, and our students themselves – have believed in this school and fought tirelessly on its behalf.”

Wesley’s application now goes to the Georgia State Department of Education with this solid endorsement from APS.

“This signifies that we are turning the corner from incubation to institution,” Bobb added.