The DeKalb County Board of Education this week placed a charter school on probation over concerns it violated federal requirements for students with disabilities, had sub-par academic performance and years of instability in leadership.
The board renewed the charter for DeKalb Preparatory Academy for three years — on the condition that the school submit a corrective action plan within 30 days for how they plan to address the issues.
The K-8 school in Decatur, founded in 2012, serves more than 500 students this year, the majority of whom are low-income. Charter schools are privately operated, but receive public funding. DeKalb Preparatory Academy incorporates project-based learning into its curriculum.
This is the third time the school’s charter has been conditionally renewed based on concerns about academic performance since 2018. The school board has the ability to request the state terminate a school’s charter or opt not to renew a charter based, in part, on a school’s performance.
“There is concern about the school, and there has been concern for quite some time,” said DeKalb school board member Vickie Turner at a meeting on Monday.
This year, district evaluators rated the school as performing “far below” the academic standards for charter schools.
Lenise Bostic was hired in August as DeKalb Preparatory Academy’s head of school, and told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this is a “building year” for her.
“I’m looking at our current practices and how we can elevate some of those practices to ensure we’re getting the most from DeKalb,” she said.
The school has been cited multiple times for not complying with the federal law that requires schools to provide a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities, according to charter renewal documents from the district. Specifically, the school has fewer special education teachers and paraprofessionals than are required, and in the last two years, there have been multiple instances of students with disabilities not receiving the services or accommodations they are entitled to, district evaluators reported.
Additionally, half of the teachers at the school are not certified, according to the school’s renewal petition. This is allowable for charter schools, but “does not appear to yield significant academic returns for students,” district staff noted. The school performed below district and state averages on each grade level in English language arts or mathematics, according to Georgia Milestones results. The school demonstrated “single-digit proficiency” in fourth and fifth grade math.
The school has also cycled through four leaders in two years, and the attrition rate for staff was 53% in the last two years.
“I know we’ve had challenges in the past, and so we’re addressing those in-house — but I know DeKalb has also had challenges in the past, and they’re addressing those in-house as well,” Bostic said. “I think it’s a beautiful coming together for both of us to do what’s really the best for our students at DeKalb Prep.”
Bostic said her first steps were to address facilities needs and human resources challenges at the school, and she plans to expand partnerships with businesses in the community and continue to engage families at the school. She also met with district officials to learn how they can work together toward improvement.
Over the next three years, the charter school is expected to receive $20.9 million in public funding.
The DeKalb school board also renewed the charter for the International Community School, an elementary school serving refugees and immigrants.
