Fulton County's superintendent has recommended that the school system deny a request to renew a 10-year contract with a charter school acclaimed for its academic achievement but whose financial management has been questioned.
The school, Fulton Science Academy Middle School, is the first Georgia charter campus to win the national Blue Ribbon School Award, an award given to the country’s top performers on standardized tests. In November, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recognized the school's achievements.
But on Tuesday, Fulton school chief Robert Avossa advised the school board to deny Fulton Science's request to continue as is.
Avossa said past "issues" with the school bring a need for more checks and balances by district staff over its operations.
Fulton Science, in its 10th year, serves more than 500 students and receives $3.9 million in state and local funding.
The charter campus paid more than $150,000 to a nonprofit without first putting the contract out for bid, creating an apparent conflict of interest. The school's executive director and principal served on the board of the Grace Institute for Educational Research and Resources, which contracts with schools to provide technical support, professional development and purchasing services.
School district staff has advised Fulton Science that it could amend its application and reapply for a three-year contract. The shorter term would bring the middle school under the same renewal schedule as its affiliate campuses, Fulton Science Academy High School and Fulton Sunshine Academy. The schools joined together to borrow $18 million in revenue bonds from the city of Alpharetta's Development Authority to help pay for a new campus, which opens in the fall. It will eventually house all three schools.
Fulton Science is the only county charter school to still operate under a "blanket waiver." The district discontinued the practice after other schools with full flexibility had to shut down, including one with fiscal problems.
Leaders at the middle school say they have a proven academic record and should be allowed to continue to operate with necessary flexibility from state laws over education, including mandates over class size, instructional time and teacher certification.
On Tuesday, nearly 100 Fulton Science parents, students and supporters packed a board workshop.
Fulton Science parent and board member Angela Lasseter cited the school's success, including outperforming the district's other middle schools for the fourth year in a row on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. "At no time during this process was [the] Fulton County school system willing to discuss the charter terms," she said. "Instead Fulton County staff has dictated a three-year charter term to us that is below the national and state guidelines and considered punitive."
The school's charter contract expires June 30. Its leaders said the school could live with an eight-year renewal. If the matter is not resolved, it could delay the school's plans to relocate and expand to accommodate a waiting list of students.
As the school prepared to apply for renewal, the district investigated its finances and found problems with the $156,000 contract with the Grace Institute.
County school officials criticized Fulton Science for failing to follow the procurement process and said that relationships between the school and the nonprofit were a "conflict of interest" because they shared common board members, said Laura Stowell, the charter liaison for Fulton County Schools.
The principal and the executive director have since resigned from the Grace board. They said they were not paid for their work.
The district says the matter was an issue "that has been remedied" and did not influence the recommendation to deny the charter.
The school board will vote on the issue next Tuesday.
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