From the Atlanta Business Chronicle…

The Georgia House of Representatives Wednesday defeated a constitutional amendment aimed at allowing the state to create charter schools.

While 110 lawmakers supported the proposal and 62 voted against it, the measure failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to approve constitutional amendments.

As many of you are aware, CSD adamantly opposed the amendment, which would have overridden a State Supreme Court decision last year which ruled the State Charter School commission was unconstitutional.  Many metro Atlanta school systems opposed the commission because it was granted the authority to single-handedly create local charter schools – and thus divert per-student funding – without any consent from local populations.

Thanks to Steve for forwarding!

The AJC reports that Fulton Superior Court Judge Wendy L. Shoob ruled in favor of Georgia’s charter schools today, in a lawsuit brought by seven school districts, who challenged that the charter school legislation was unconstitutional.

It is not an independent school system,” Shoob said. “The General Assembly has provided sufficient guidelines. Commission charter schools are not required to be under the control or managed by an elected board of education. The funding is constitutional.”

Though Decatur could not formall join the lawsuit against the charter schools because it was determined that they had suffered no direct damages as a result of the charter school legislation, Decatur’s school board passed a resolution in December backing actions of the seven school districts.

Meanwhile, Avondale’s new charter, The Museum School, just broke ground on a temporary facility at 3191 Covington Highway yesterday.

While there has been heated debate in the past year over the legality of Georgia’s new charter school law, which gives a state board authority to create charter schools around the state, there’s little debate about the popularity of its latest iteration in Avondale Estates: The Museum School.

According to a press release sent out by the school and pasted on the AJC’s Get Schooled blog, a lottery will be held tomorrow at Avondale Estates City Hall to determine which students currently living in DeKalb’s Avondale and Midway Woods attendance zones will make up the first classes of kindergarten to third-graders.  After this initial year, the school will add a grade a year up to eighth grade.

With such intense demand, what’s the controversy?  Well, like with anything involving a child’s education, it’s exceedingly complicated.

Read the rest of this entry »

The AJC is reporting that the state BOE’s Charter School Committee gave unanimous approval to Decatur’s charter school application yesterday. Today, it goes before the Board of Education again for approval. If its approved, that’s it. Decatur becomes a charter system. No more hurdles or red tape.

The AJC seems to think that because of the unanimous approval by the charter school committee, Decatur is a shoe-in. Marietta on the other hand, only passed by a 3-2 vote and therefore might face greater criticism today during the full board meeting.

All will be revealed today! Stay tuned to DM for more exhilarating charter school red-tape coverage!

The State Board of Education should vote tomorrow on whether to grant charter status to the Decatur, Marietta and Gainesville school systems.

The AJC has a full recap, but basically it boils down to a debate over leadership. The State Board wants parents and staff to have near-absolute control, while the cities applications look to retain some power with the school board.

After the issue was surprisingly tabled last month, each of the cities sent in “clarification letters” to the state board, but did not alter their applications.

Decatur’s 7 page letter can be read here. [h/t: inDecatur]