Education
Education

Cobb charter school can remain open

The school's scores on the state report card have plummeted.

Credit: Ty Tagami

Credit: Ty Tagami

The school's scores on the state report card have plummeted.
By Ty Tagami
May 25, 2017

The International Academy of Smyrna charter school will not have to close this summer and it’s 1,000 students will not have to be displaced.

The Georgia Board of Education voted Thursday to affirm a State Charter Schools Commission decision to grant the school a "probationary" charter lasting three years.

The school has a local charter with Cobb County, but it expires this summer and Cobb refused to grant a renewal due to the school's plunging academic performance.

School officials blamed this on a funding shortfall from Cobb, and Cobb blamed that on inaccurate staffing reports from the school.

Charter commission staff criticized Cobb for inconsistent reviews of the school’s performance, giving the school little opportunity to address problems.

As a state commission school, the Academy will have to operate without local tax dollars from Cobb.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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