In lieu of tomorrow’s second public hearing regarding Decatur’s mad dash to take its school system charter, the AJC does a rundown about charter systems, talking to Superintendent Phyllis Edwards and rephrasing my posting title for the article headline. (har, har)

Decatur would be the first school system in the state to take this leap, after legislation was passed in May making charter schools in the state possible. Ultimately the change seems to release school administrators and educators from much of the red tape put in place by the state, letting the school system develop their own goals.

In the article Edwards summarizes the intended benefits… “Merit pay for teachers; academic credits for students based on knowledge, not just classroom “seat time;” and a move toward using national and not just state standardized tests to measure achievement.”

For more info, plan to attend tonight’s public earing at Westchester on Scott at 6:30p. Also look for the charter petition to be posted online at the Decatur Schools website on Wednesday, Oct. 10th.