Charter School Ruling Stands

In its June 13 rulings, the Supreme Court of Georgia said it would not reconsider the .

In a vote of 4-3, the court denied the motion for reconsideration, which was the last stop for any charter school proponents who hoped for an appeal.

The three dissenting judges were Justices David Nahmias, George Carley and Harold Melton. A substitute dissent was issued Monday, though no opinion was issued about the denial, as is normal practice.

In the dissention, Nahmias wrote "I doubt that many local school systems will enjoy the majority’s conclusion that they now 'exclusively' bear the constitutional duty of providing K-12 public education within their limits."

"It is hard to understand why the majority is so determined to eviscerate the 74
special schools provision," he added.

According to a Georgia Supreme Court statement, in May the courts originally voted 4-3 to strike down the Charter Schools Commission Act, saying that the schools do not fit the definition of “special schools” as envisioned in the state Constitution.