They came with polished presentations and a team of experts, ready to pitch their brand of education to a skeptical state board considering petitions for new charter schools.
On Monday, the last of 20 petitioners hoping to open schools from scratch next fall -- on the public dime -- faced an interview panel of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission.
A pending state Supreme Court case, filed by seven local districts that questions the constitutionality of the commission and its ability to fund and approve new schools, did not curb the interest of educational entrepreneurs who want to do business in the state. Only one school withdrew from consideration citing the court case as a reason for its exodus, said Mark Peevy, executive director of the commission.
“We are confident as we ever were that the lower court decision will be upheld,” Peevy said.
That is why the board is moving forward with its rigorous approval process that examines the capacity for schools to operate successfully and educate students at high levels, Peevy said, adding, “Our goals for schools are even higher this year."
Each candidate was allowed one hour to sell the panel. Some hopefuls came with the backing of developers and the experience of national education management companies who signed on to provide administrative assistance. Some shared letters of intent from parents who promised their children will attend if the charters were granted.
Four cyber charter schools are also up for consideration as well as campuses that were first rejected by local districts. Some schools hoping to pull students from five or more counties appealed to the commission without going to local school districts first.
The panel will share its picks with the commission in early December. The commission will then vote on Dec. 16 to decide which charters get public funds. Only those schools that have shown the capacity to oversee public dollars, a sound board of directors with expertise in education and finance, and accountability goals for student achievement that exceed local districts will receive charters, Peevy said.
Some school petitioners buckled under the pressure as they tried to impress.
One interviewer asked a group from Hope Leadership Academy, which is proposing to teach K-5 students about entrepreneurship and values, why it mentioned a former charter school’s name in its petition and had language in their proposal about turning a profit.
“You can’t operate a public school at a profit,” said Laura Lashley, the commission's petition program manager. “I have some concerns about that.’’
Petition representative Shaun Sorrells acknowledged the mistake and insisted that the school and is focus is a fresh idea, not an attempt to repackage a charter school (Lewis Academy) that had been non-renewed.
“This is not a replication of Lewis Academy under a different name,” he said.
Leaders of Chattahoochee Hills Charter School said they would provide an educational experience alike no other in Georgia, one that makes use of the rural farming community included in its five-county footprint.
“There are farms, there are local streams all within walking distance from the school," said Tyler Thigpen, a teacher on leave from Gwinnett County Schools who is studying for his masters degree at Harvard University. “We will use environmental and agricultural themes as the lenses through which the Georgia Performance Standards will be explored.”
Thigpen said teachers also would be invited to develop the curriculum and suggest textbooks. Classrooms would be designed to focus on getting kids outside and into nature.
“We are on the cutting edge,” said Steve Nygren, an organizing committee member for Chattahoochee Hills Charter school. “We will have a state-of-the-art building. We have five people willing to back any budget shortfalls.”
Officials said land owners in the area have said they would provide about $2 million to help with the construction of the school. But not everyone is backing it.
Coweta County Schools Superintendent Blake Bass said he was notified that Chattahoochee Hills intended to attract students -- and dollars -- from his district but he is among those counting on the State Supreme court to render the issue moot.
“We have the same concerns as most other school systems about that," Bass said. "Our position is the local boards of education should be making local decisions."
Commission member B.J. Van Gundy, who sat in on interviews Monday, said he was concerned that Hope Charter School had created its petition before it had a full board of directors.
“You can’t put the cart before the horse,” Van Gundy said. “The petition is supposed to be the dream of the board.”
The commission currently has eight schools with 2,400 students. Commission schools receive federal and state funds plus a hotly debated matching share of local education dollars carved from the state allocations of districts students leave behind.
