An advisory committee to Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen plans to recommend the district pursue “charter system” status, an organizational structure that gives the district more freedom from some state laws — and potentially a little more money — in exchange for greater state accountability, according to the agenda for Monday’s board meeting.
Becoming a “charter system” is one of three options open to school districts across Georgia. Districts can also choose a model called “Investing in Educational Excellence,” or “IE2,” or reject both the charter and IE2 models.
The district administration has “examined the options,” according to board agenda materials for Monday’s meeting.
“We believe charter system offers the greatest opportunity for improving all of our Atlanta Public Schools,” the agenda item read.
District officials said Monday evening the charter system recommendation was from the advisory committee — not the superintendent.
The General Assembly adopted these new models in the late 2000s, after districts complained that state rules were tying them down.
But Georgia districts have a big financial incentive to pursue either charter status or “IE2.”
Rejecting both options may cause them to lose money-saving waivers that have allowed them to exceed state caps on class sizes and to cut attendance calendars below the minimum 180 days. The waivers, popular during the recession, are still used in most of Georgia’s 180 districts as a way to balance budgets.
In charter systems, officials must re-engineer central offices to support decision-making by local school governance councils. Under IE2 there’s no requirement for those governance councils. Both types of systems get waivers.
The school board is scheduled to take up the recommendation at its meeting Monday and possibly inform the state Department of Education of its intent to apply for charter system status in November. If approved, APS would begin operating as a charter system by the 2016-17 school year.
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