Jefferson Schools Seek Charter Status

A northeast Georgia city will seek to make its schools a charter system. Jefferson's Board of Education unanimously voted to send a letter to the state Department of Education. The letter allows the state to start considering granting charter status. Jefferson's schools have 27-hundred students.

(Athens Banner-Herald)

Charter schools could get boost

It could get easier to form a charter school in Georgia. The state Board of Education could vote tomorrow to lift a cap on how many public school systems can convert to charter districts each year. Under state law, only five districts a year can convert to charters. After that, the state school board decides. Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox is pushing to throw out the cap because she says it is arbitrary and hamstrings the state.

(Associated Press)

Charter Schools get boost from new laws

Governor Sonny Perdue signed three pieces of legislation into law to expand support for choice options within public schools: HB 881, 831, and 1277.

Jan Jones and known as the charter commission legislation, requires charter school petitioners to continue to seek approval from their local board of education. It also lets parents request charter approval directly from a newly-formed state charter commission if the local board of education rejects the petition, or if the petitioner seeks conditions different from those approved by the local board of education. In addition, HB 881 changes the way charter schools are funded. Many previously-approved charter schools operate on fewer dollars than traditional public schools receive.

House Bills 831 and 1277 build further on the infrastructure support for public charter schools. HB 831 enables the State Board of Education to establish a grant program to provide matching funds to charter school organizations for capital improvements or construction of charter schools, while HB 1277 provides charter school personnel access to the State Health Benefit Plan.

Another piece of charter legislation, HB 1065, was signed into law by Governor Perdue earlier this month and authorizes local charter schools and state chartered special schools to use their SPLOST funds for capital outlay projects.

Charter school bills become law

Three new education laws are on the books. All of them pave a smoother path for the creation of charter schools in Georgia. The first signed today Governor Sonny Perdue makes it easier for charter school petitioners to seek approval and expands funding. The other two boosts funding to charter schools' infrastructure and gives school personnel access to state health insurance.

State green-lights charter school

A controversial charter school has cleared its final hurdle in the approval process. Today the State Board of Education approved Lake Oconee Academy in Greene County. The vote was nine to one. Opponents say it intentionally excludes minority and low-income students. Supporters say it will attract middle class families and boost the area's economy.

Charter school close to final approval

A controversial charter school has the green light from Georgia’s Charter School Committee. Today the committee passed the plan to build Lake Oconee Academy in Greene County. Supporters say the neighborhood school in the posh Lake Oconee developments would attract middle class families to the area and spur economic growth. Opponents say it excludes minority and low-income students. The plan has one more hurdle to pass tomorrow, when the entire state Board of Education is set to vote on it.