A team of ambitious local educators are in the final stages of creating an innovative new school in the northwest Bronx. After receiving city approval in October, all the school needs is a go-ahead from the state and a place to call home.

Sasha Wilson, Martha Andrews, Kendra Sibley and Ilia Edwards are the architects behind the Bronx Community Charter School, a K-to-8 school that will start with two kindergarten and two first grade classes – 100 kids total.

Collectively, they have more than 35 years of experience behind them.

“In an area where a good school is so needed, these are the best people to bring that to the community” said Esther Forrest, the former principal of the Bronx New School (PS 51) who hired Wilson and Edwards.

All four founders were colleagues at the New School in Bedford Park. More than two years ago, the quartet began discussing the need for a school with an innovative curriculum. With that in mind, they started attending workshops, applying for grants and solidifying their mission.

The group decided to start a school through the state’s charter school program, which allows them to receive government funding, but also gives them autonomy to set their own budget and create their own curriculum and programming.

“[With] the charter school vehicle [we] felt like innovation is being encouraged,” said Wilson, who is married to Sibley. The two live with their 8-month-old daughter, Delphinium, near Oval Park in Norwood.

There are currently 17 charter schools in the Bronx, but Bronx Community will be the first K-8 charter school in the neighborhoods of Norwood, Fordham and Bedford Park, according to the NYC Center for Charter School Excellence, an independent nonprofit that provides technical assistance to educators as they go through the process of developing their own schools.

The team has a varied background, but all share a laser-focus on developing young inquiring minds. Wilson started his career in politics, working on campaigns like the late Sen. Paul Simon’s presidential run, but he always knew he would ultimately be an educator following in his mother’s footsteps.

Edwards is a bilingual teacher who has long worked with Spanish-speaking children. She is currently a lead math teacher at a White Plains school.

“I love teaching,” said Edwards. “And I truly believe that a strong start early in a child’s life can make all the difference. And I didn’t think it could get any more important to me — and then, I had two children.”

Andrews, who has taught Pre-K, third, fourth and fifth grades, was a member of the four-person math committee at PS 51, where she and Edwards developed a well-regarded multi-age math program. As a student at Columbia University’s Teachers College she created a Web-based social studies project that is still used in the curriculum there.

Andrews and Wilson will be the school’s co-directors. Edwards will be the school’s math specialist and Sibley, who will be its art teacher, is working at Riverdale Country School this year to gain experience working with the youngest students.

Despite its small size, the school is prioritizing hiring full-time specialists like Edwards, who will develop curriculum and work closely with small groups of children. There will also be a literacy specialist and a special education service provider.

Community involvement will be at the core of the school’s philosophy.

The educators have already begun developing a collaborative project with the Bronx River Alliance. Starting at the kindergarten level, Bronx Community students will work closely with the Alliance in practicing environmental conservation and exploring basic science methods.

“We live in a built environment in New York, but the Bronx is so alive with nature — parks, the Botanical Garden,” said Sibley. “It’s a great learning environment.”

Having seen the Bronx Community team in action already, local parent and activist Ginette Sosa says the educators’ “real world”-style teaching is what they do best. “My daughter attended PS 51 and I was able to see the trust she had in her teachers,” she said. “They relate work in the classroom to the outside world.”

The school’s founders still have to jump through two more hoops. They need final approval from the state Board of Regents, which is expected in mid-January. And then they need space to accommodate their first four classes. The group is in negotiations for three different spaces; one is in a church and the other two are commercial properties.

Despite a long and challenging planning and development process, Wilson said the four remain committed and optimistic.

“Our home is here, our life is here and pretty soon our school will be here,” he said.

Ed. note: For more information about the Bronx Community Charter School, e-mail bronxcommunity@gmail.com or call (347) 668-5229.