Georgia Charter Schools Commission to vote on new schools Monday

By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Education entrepreneurs who pitched new charter school ideas to the state will learn Monday which campuses will be funded.

The Georgia Charter Schools Commission will meet at 9 a.m. to offer hopefuls the opportunity of a lifetime -- the chance to start a public school with government money.  Only a handful of 28 petitioners were  recommended for approval by a panel of state administrators and industry experts.

The majority of applicants did not meet the state’s quality standards or demonstrate they could handle charter school management with the support system they had, said Andrew Broy, the associate Georgia Schools superintendent who oversees charters.

“We are going to be entrusting these governing groups with literally hundreds of students and millions of dollars in state and federal funding,” Broy said. “Some of the interview panels had concerns that they weren’t savvy enough to handle that responsibility.”

Several campuses recommended for approval, however, have expert help to run their proposed schools and offer fresh approaches to public education.

One school for boys, Fulton Leadership Academy, plans to focus on aeronautics and character development. Another campus, The Museum School of Avondale Estates in DeKalb, proposes partnering with museums so students can go on learning expeditions to support the curriculum.

“At the end of each quarter, the students would build an exhibit and they would turn the school into a museum,” explained Dr. Alexandra Webb, chairwoman of the school's executive committee. “They would invite the community and parents in and teach them about what they have learned.”

Webb said about 160 parents, educators and experts in grant-writing, human resources and non-profit finance came together to support the the proposal.

Other proposed schools recommended for approval are: Atlanta Heights Charter School, which would draw Atlanta Public Schools students; Peachtree Hope Charter School in DeKalb County; and Pataula Charter Academy, which would attract students in Calhoun, Clay, Early, Randolph and Baker counties.

The commission considers state recommendations, but they have not always followed the advice to the letter. Of the commission's two charter schools, one campus, Statesboro’s Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts & Technology, was recommended for denial by state staff, but was authorized by the commission last summer. Ivy Preparatory Academy in Norcross, the other commission-chartered school, was recommended by state staff and approved unanimously by the commission.

Officials with the Georgia Charter Schools Association have told petitioners recommended for denial to consider reapplying if Monday's vote doesn't go their way. “I think the commission wanted to air on the side of caution since there is so much controversy right now,” said Tony Roberts, executive director of the GCSA.

Georgia Charter Commission chairman Ben Scafidi said “there are at least one or two more that will get a very hard look by the commission. There could be more."

Commission-chartered schools are fully funded like any other public school. They receive state and federal dollars plus a matching share of local funds carved from the state allocations of the districts students leave behind. Two pending lawsuits, however, challenge the commission's  authority to authorize and fund charter schools.

Nevertheless, Fulton Leadership Academy’s board chairman Kent Gregory is staying optimistic. He says their brand of education ,“will be very successful.”

“The focus on young men .. is an important piece, the South Fulton location is critical. I think we have something that will set this school apart."

If you go

The Georgia Charter Schools Commission will vote on its next class of charter schools.

When: The commission meets at 9 a.m. Monday in Atlanta in the state board room of the Georgia Department of Education, East Tower.

Information: For more details, visit public.doe.k12.ga.us