Two locally-authorized charter schools in Fulton County failed to win state charters after the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia voted against them Wednesday.
Fulton Sunshine Academy, an elementary school, and Fulton Science Academy High School each failed to impress the charter commission staff, which recommended denial in both cases. The commission was troubled by the Sunshine Academy governing board's "lack of understanding" despite years of operating under a local charter from Fulton County Schools, commission documents said. The high school's governing board also failed to impress, with the commission staff finding "consistent problems with the governing board's oversight of school administration."
An audit commissioned by Fulton County Schools and released in 2012 said the financial viability of the two schools was put at risk when the school leadership obtained a bond issue in connection with an associated middle school without knowing whether the charter of that middle school would be extended. The charter was not, but Fulton Science Academy Middle School continued as a private school and now serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as Fulton Science Academy Private School.
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