Gwinnett school board rejects Ivy Preparatory Academy again

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By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ivy Preparatory Academy at Gwinnett is heading back to the state for consideration of its charter application after being denied again by the Gwinnett County school board.

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Nina Gilbert checks out Kylie Lawson's first grade boys class. The first day of school at Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood.

Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com Nina Gilbert checks out Kylie Lawson's first grade boys class. The first day of school at Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood.

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On Thursday, the Gwinnett school board rejected the charter school’s petition for a five-year operating contract and its application to open a companion school for boys.

Ivy Prep in Norcross is Georgia’s first girls-only charter school.

School board members encouraged the petitioner to “address significant deficiencies” in their application and resubmit within 30 days for consideration.

Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks said the district had concerns about the school’s financial viability and curriculum, among other things.

"They say they can't afford to educate a child" on what the district provides for them, Wilbanks said.

Gilbert was seeking more funding from Gwinnett County as part of her district charter renewal petition. She said Ivy Prep Gwinnett receives $4,300 per pupil, including about $1,400 from Gwinnett Schools. The rest is from state and federal dollars. (Gwinnett County public schools students at traditional campuses on average receive $7,358 per pupil, according to the district.)

Gilbert said her 350 Gwinnett students got less funding than her DeKalb students in Norcross that aren't eligible for local funds. Ivy Prep receives $5,500 per pupil for her 150 DeKalb students, including about $2,700 through a special state supplement.

Organizers had hoped to open a new campus for boys, Ivy Prep Young Men's Leadership Academy, which also sought a five-year contract.

“We have been denied by Gwinnett County before,” said Nina Gilbert, co-founder of Ivy Prep. “We have performed very well after that denial.”

Ivy Prep has met or exceeded performance standards for students since it opened in 2008 as a state chartered special school.

In 2011, a little more than 94 percent of students met or exceeded standards in math on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. Nearly 98 percent met or exceeded standards in Reading/English Language Arts, according to the state Department of Education.

Gilbert said she will apply to the state Department of Education next for consideration. “We stand prepared to transition to be a state charter special school once our petition has been reviewed and approved by the state Board of Education,” Gilbert said.

The Gwinnett school board originally rejected Ivy Prep's proposal for a single-gender campus in 2007. It was later approved in 2008 as a state charter special school, operating on state and federal funds.

Gwinnett Schools approved a one-year contract in 2011 to allow Ivy Prep to continue to operate after the Georgia Supreme Court dissolved a state commission that was funding the school.

As a state charter special school, Ivy Prep would lose its local funding again.