State school board supports approval of seven new commission schools

The state Board of Education supported the recommendation of its regulatory partner in authorizing charter schools and will allow seven new campuses to open.

The decision was made Wednesday before a packed boardroom that included two busloads of parents who had traveled more than 180 miles from southwest Georgia to speak in favor of a charter school slated for their area.

“This is a new process for all of us,” said Linda Zechmann, chairwoman of the state board’s Charter Schools Committee. “There has been a lot of consideration, a lot of deliberation and a lot of communication regarding these schools. The charter schools committee has consensus in moving forward with all seven.”

No formal vote will be necessary Thursday since the entire board was in agreement with the commission.

The state board considered several controversial appeals that placed it in the awkward position of deciding whether to overturn decisions already made by the commission.  The objections came from five school districts and four rejected petitioners who urged the state board to vote to overrule the commission. Only one of those appeals was brought to the entire board.

Board members Brian Burdette and Jose Perez recommended a discussion of overturning the commission's rejection of Lewis Academy of Excellence, an existing charter school in Clayton, but said it was unclear what the state board could do to help the school. The head of the school said it had been denied funding based on inaccurate information and provided the board with documentation.

“We can overturn an approval, but to deny a denial, I’m not sure exactly what it means,” Perez said. “We don’t have the authority to provide them with the extra tax dollars. We need to have a clear process that answers this.”

Lewis Academy, a school of more than 630 students, was one of the campuses suspected of standardized testing irregularities in a state investigation announced later Wednesday.

“I welcome any challenges,” said Patricia Lewis, founder and CEO of the school.

Commission charter schools receive full funding like other public schools, comprised of state and federal dollars plus a local matching share of tax dollars carved from the state allocations of the districts students leave.

The seven charter schools endorsed by the board are: Atlanta Heights Charter School, Fulton Leadership Academy,  Museum School of Avondale Estates,  Peachtree Hope Charter School, Coweta Charter Academy at Senoia, Heron Bay Academy and Pataula Charter Academy.

Nearly 30 parents came to Wednesday’s meeting to support Pataula Charter Academy, which had the largest presence in the standing-room-only crowd. The group had left for Atlanta at 3 a.m. in two buses in order to speak out against an appeal filed against their school’s approval by some surrounding districts.