Georgia gets a C for charter school law

By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The state of Georgia was given a “C” on a national report card grading the effectiveness of its charter schools law.

The average score, as graded by the Center for Education Reform, ranked Georgia 14th in the nation for its support of charter schools in a study that examines how states fund them, approve them and offer flexibility to charter educators.

Only three states and regions were at the top of the class. Washington D.C., Minnesota and California receiving “A's” in the study, entitled “Charter Laws Across the States.” Most other states received “C's” and “D's,” with Virginia, Iowa and Kansas failing altogether.

This marks the second consecutive year that Georgia has received a “C”, although Georgia’s overall score for the 2010 school year is slightly higher than the previous year. In 2008, the year Georgia added another charter schools authorizer, the state received a "B."

“One of the reasons Georgia has slid and lost ground is because of two major factors. One is having a truly independent authorizer that can grow and create charter schools," Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform said Monday. "You created one, but it is still controlled largely by rules in the Department of Education."

The second reason is inequitable funding, Allen said.

"In Georgia, 100 percent of funding does not follow kids [when they move to charter schools]," Allen said. "The districts do a very bad job of approving and funding schools. ... The actual appropriation for the state authorizer is also not entirely equitable."

Until the establishment of the controversial Georgia Charter Schools Commission, only charter schools approved by local school districts were fully funded. Now, charter schools approved by the commission can also access state and federal funds, plus a matching share of local funds from the state allocations of the districts that students have left.

Georgia Department of Education Associate Superintendent Andrew Broy, who oversees charter schools, said he found the CER's report to be valid in the past, but feels that some categories may be "over-weighted." In Georgia's case, he wondered if the agency considered the approval of HB-555, which allows charter schools to move into vacant public school buildings rent-free.

"About a half-dozen schools have arrangements," Broy said.

Allen, however, said providing buildings was not good enough.

"If there is not actual funding ... you don't get points," she said. "What you need to do is put the same dollar sign on these kids' heads that the traditional public schools spend."

Two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Georgia's charter school law also impacted Georgia's overall score.

"Legally and constitutionally, the law could have been written to better withstand a lawsuit," Allen said.

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Georgia's average score on a charter school legislation study could limit the state’s national profile as an innovator as it competes for $4.3 billion in “Race for the Top” grants, which will be doled out to reform-minded states with proven track records, say officials with the Center for Education Reform. The following are the top 20 states/territories with effective charter schools laws according to the CER:

1. Washington D.C.  A

2. Minnesota  A

3. California  A

4. Utah  B

5. Arizona  B

6. Michigan  B

7. Colorado  B

8. Indiana  B

9. New York  B

10. Missouri  B

11. Pennsylvania  B

12. Florida  B

13. Delaware  B

14. Georgia  C

15. Louisiana  C

16. Wisconsin  C

17. New Jersey C

18. Massachusetts  C

19. Ohio  C

20. Oregon  C