Atlanta may prevent new charter schools
WHAT’S NEXT
The Atlanta Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the applications of Atlanta Classical Academy and Hind’s Feet Montessori School of the Arts at its monthly meeting Monday. If their applications are rejected, the schools could seek to obtain charters through the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia. Meanwhile, the legal dispute over whether charter schools must contribute to paying off pension debt is pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. A decision is expected in the coming months.
No more charter schools should be approved in the Atlanta school district while a fight over pension debt plays out in court, according to Superintendent Erroll Davis.
Charter schools have flourished in Atlanta in recent years, with 1 in 10 city students enrolled in them, but their growth could stop if the Atlanta Board of Education adopts Davis’ recommendation at its Monday meeting.
Davis advised the board Wednesday to reject charter applications from Atlanta Classical Academy, Hind’s Feet Montessori School of the Arts or any other charter school while the Georgia Supreme Court considers whether charter schools should have to contribute to paying off an old pension liability of more than $500 million.
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However, the head of the Georgia Department of Education’s Charter Schools Division, Louis Erste, said Davis’ position may run afoul of a state law that requires charter schools to be approved if they meet legal requirements and are in the public interest.
“It’s based on a relatively flimsy argument, and it could be illegal,” Erste said. “You can’t punish brand-new schools because of a mistake made in the past.”
Charter schools are public schools that offer students an alternative to traditional public schools, with their own curriculums and management. Teachers at charter schools in Atlanta are not part of the district’s pension system, but the district wanted the charter schools to pay about 7 percent of the pension debt last school year.
Davis said charter schools are part of the school district, and they share the district’s resources.
When it comes to the pension debt, “In good conscience, I cannot recommend increasing the financial burden on traditional school students in order to create new schools that will not pay their share,” Davis wrote to the board.
Atlanta Public Schools argued in court that the pension debt, which has been building since the late ’70s, should be paid off by both traditional and charter schools. If only traditional schools have to make pension payments, their per-student spending will shrink while charters’ student funding will remain the same.
Atlanta Classical Academy, a proposed 485-student K-8 school that would educate students on the classics, is lobbying the city school board to override Davis and approve the school’s charter, said Matthew Kirby, the school’s board chairman. The academy addressed the school district’s concerns by reducing its size and finding a large church to serve as a schoolhouse, but Davis sought its rejection based on financial issues.
“It’s a major problem that our school district wouldn’t be open to creating choices that are outstanding for kids,” Kirby said. “It’s bigger than Atlanta Public Schools. We want our city to be an attractive place for businesses because of our public schools. That’s what’s at risk.”
If the Atlanta Board of Education turns down charter applications, the proposed schools could seek approval from the state.
But schools authorized by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia don’t receive local funding, meaning they get $7,400 per student compared to $9,000 per student for district-approved charters, according to a Georgia Charter Schools Association analysis that excludes funding of online schools.
Supporters of Atlanta Classical Academy are reminding board members that it’s an election year, and voters will be watching what action they take Monday, Kirby said.
Board of Education Chairman Reuben McDaniel, who handles public comments for the board, didn’t respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.
Existing charter schools hope their future isn’t threatened because of the fight over pension funds, said Matt Underwood, executive director for Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School. The school board considers renewing schools’ charters every five years, and his school’s charter expires in 2016.
“I would hope that the district and the Atlanta Public Schools board would look to renew current charters based on their success … rather than a blanket denial of any renewals for financial reasons,” he said.
Initial payments toward the pension debt were $35.8 million from the traditional schools and $2.8 million from the charter schools in the 2012-2013 school year. The school district budgeted $48 million for pension payments in the 2013-2014 school year, with the charter schools expected to pay about $3 million, and amounts are projected to rise each year.
Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, said he was disappointed by Davis’ recommendation to deny all new charter school petitions.
“The main consideration should be the needs and wishes of the children and parents of Atlanta,” Roberts said. “Demand remains higher than availability. The clarion call of the parents is to provide them with more public school options like charter schools, not less.”
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
