Gwinnett denies charter school application

Gwinnett County school board members on Thursday rejected a proposal for a new charter school in Norcross.

The proposed Gwinnett School of the Arts had several problems, district administrators said. The curriculum was not distinctly different than what is currently taught in Gwinnett schools, they said. Revenue projections were overstated with an annual projected budget shortfall of more than $160,000, Gwinnett officials said. Other concerns included how the school would address some state and federal requirements and what district officials said were several inaccuracies in the application, such as the assertion that Gwinnett would provide some annual training.

“This was not a very well-developed (charter school) petition,” said Steve Flynt, Gwinnett’s chief strategy and performance officer.