After the state board of ed tabled all the significant charter apps last month (sorry Warren County) due to concerns about leadership, Decatur and Marietta didn’t go back to the drawing board, according to the AJC. Instead of caving to criticism that the applications didn’t go far enough to remove the superintendent and school board from the administrative process, both cities just sent along additional letters clarifying their positions.

At this point its a toss up about what the state board of education will do. Strong, vocal support from state officials, including Cathy Cox, lead many to assume that all applications would pass easily last month. In fact, Decatur recently used its assumed status as a first charter school to argue against a bill in the state legislature that gave a state agency authority to create charter districts without consent of local government.

So much for that. Now both cities, which spent more than a year creating and molding their apps, are waiting with baited breath for the state board’s decision. Will the board concede to the cities’ proposed leadership structure or will they remain convinced that the cities haven’t gone far enough to justify charter freedoms?

We’ll know a week from today.