Fulton's application to give its schools flexibility from state laws and more creative authority to boost student achievement will be voted on Thursday by the state Board of Education.
Fulton Schools is applying to become a charter system and the system's application has been recommended for approval by Georgia's charter schools committee. A yes vote of the full board would allow Fulton to join an elite group of Georgia school districts that have special privileges to adapt to the needs of students, and offer the community decision-making power that increases their stake in the success of a school.
Only 14 of Georgia's 180 local school districts are state charter systems.
Fulton would become the largest district yet to go charter, if approved. It has nearly 92,000 students and 100 schools.
“I’m excited,’’ said school board president Linda Schultz. “We have already seen an increase in parental involvement. ...All of us are willing to think more about different options for our kids and recognize that each school is separate and unique.”
Fulton's charter system application seeks a blanket waiver from state laws restricting classroom mandates including those over instructional time, budgeting, teacher's pay and more.
Fulton schools would have the freedom to create broader curriculum options, such as classes that prepare students for multiple pathways including vocational studies and life skills in addition to college readiness. Students could have new ways to earn course credits and expanded foreign language classes.
A group of community members and teachers would work with principals to help decide which areas of flexibility to pursue. The group would have to be elected by peers in the fall and trained by the district to take on leadership roles in local school governance. Then, they would be unleashed to launch new academic programs and monitor how money is being spent at local schools.
"They can make choices about instructional materials and how they want to staff their school," said Martha Greenway, a deputy superintendent at Fulton Schools. "This is really about more effectively distributing the resources that we have."
Charter systems receive an extra $100 per student to help fund innovations. Fulton County Schools would not receive that money right away if approved. The district would have to be considered in 2013 when the legislature meets to review the supplemental budget, state officials said.
Georgia's 14 charter systems have all entered into five-year performance contracts with the state that promises better results in exchange for more flexibility. The systems report annually on their progress and could have their contracts canceled if they fail to produce.
Like Fulton, Decatur and Marietta city schools, which became charter systems in 2008, not only had to educate parents about what a charter system is and try to convince them it was a good idea for the district, but they also had to pitch staff on the idea, according to school officials.
Giving parents more insight and authority over school programs took some getting used to for Decatur principals, said Bruce Roaden, principal of 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue School, who formally served as a liaison to the school leadership teams.
"There is great transparency; they get to see everything," Roaden said. "We were in a whole new world."
At Decatur City Schools, parents elected to represent the interests of the community help to interview new teachers and weigh in on principal evaluations.
"It really provides the parent an inside seat at the table to learn how schools operate," said parent Garrett Goebel, who served on the 4/5 Academy leadership team and currently serves as a school board member.
In Fulton, the first year of the school district's charter would be dedicated to training school governance teams. Each team would have three parents elected by parents, two teachers elected by teachers, two staff members appointed by the principal and two community members approved by all of the other members. High schools also would have two students on the group.
The superintendent also has authority to dissolve the council for a variety of reasons including ethics violations.
Marietta City Schools officials said students have reaped benefits since the district went charter.
At Marietta High School, teens get time in their daily schedules to sit with an adviser who monitors their grades and makes sure they are on track to graduate.
By the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the number of students in Marietta City Schools exceeding standards on state exams jumped from 33 percent to 51 percent for kids in grades 3-8.
“If you are a system that is interested in innovating, improving student achievement and engaging parents, this is a very good opportunity for you," said Emily Lembeck, Marietta Schools superintendent.
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