Op-Ed: On Georgia's Charter School Ruling

Monday was a historic day in education and charter schools in Georgia. Depending on your viewpoint, it was either a victory for public school districts or it was a devastating blow to free school choice for those students whose families cannot afford expensive private schools. The that the state’s Charter School Commission did not have the authority to create and fund ‘special’ charter schools that were denied by their local boards of education.

What does all of this mean?

The sixteen schools granted charters under the commission will not receive the local per pupil funding from their respective districts. Essentially, those schools will be forced to either operate on state funds and any funds raised through grantwriting and fundraising; or, brace for closure. There are approximately 15,000 Georgia school children who will be affected by this ruling.

My opinion on this ruling and the charter school ‘movement,’ or lack thereof in Georgia, is honest, direct, and may make some people uncomfortable. If you do not have an open mind about the need for charter schools, better traditional schools (e.g., ‘eliminating the ‘teaching-out-of-fear’ environments, test cheating, micromanagement, poor use of educational funds, and ,) then what I am about to say may offend you.

When I read about the Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling, I was numb. Not a numbness one experiences from shock or anger, but the kind you get when you really do not care one way or the other. After spending a considerable amount of time conducting research, organizing parents, and planning what we wanted our charter school to look like, the challenge (or demand, depending on how you look at it) of raising $1.2 million dollars within 30 days knocked the wind from our sails. We were devastated. Quite frankly, we were extremely discouraged.

Our group was ‘encouraged’ to wait for the commission formation instead of seeking approval by the State Board of Education as Ivy Prep did. Well, to say hindsight is 20/20 would be an understatement. I have to look at all that our group experienced in 2008-09 and compare it to what the parents of students at Ivy and the other charter schools are experiencing now. I would not change my level of persistence in getting the Georgia Department of Education officials to address the million dollar demand, nor would I change the fact that I took my concerns to the Office for Civil Rights.

There is no rhyme or reason for any grassroots community group being required to raise that kind of money under such a tight deadline. Furthermore, the state’s charter school law does not stipulate that charter groups have to raise any monies up-front to secure a review or approval by the State Board of Education. But no one listened. Not the DOE officials, including Kathy Cox, or appointed board of education members.

Despite that experience, I was still encouraged and hopeful for those groups who planned to submit their petitions to the Charter School Commission. I was naïve enough to believe that, given the mistakes of DOE officials and baseless denials by local boards of education, some of the nonprofit, grassroots charter groups would be allowed to have a proverbial seat at the education roundtable vis-a-vis opening charter schools within their communities. I was wrong.

Several groups complained that the commission members’ apathy during the schedules interviews was discouraging. One organizer stated that a commission member actually left before the group’s interview ended. Not only is such behavior rude, but implies two things: (1) The commission had no intention of giving certain groups serious consideration; and (2) The members obviously did not fully understand their legal responsibilities, as outlined by the review process. Worse yet, some groups were encouraged to partner with an Education Management Organization (EMO) or Charter Management Organization (CMO) because their board was (deemed) not qualified enough to handle the responsibilities of running and managing a successful charter school.

Those desiring to open charter schools have yet another obstacle to overcome. Essentially, they are back to square one, or the mercy of local boards. Perhaps the only solution to this problem is to better educate parents and teachers as to their rights as they relate to sending their kids to failing schools and teaching in them. There are measures in place that allow parents and teachers to vote to transform their schools into charter schools. The other, perhaps easier, alternative is to recall those board members who make no effort to end de-facto segregation within the schools they govern, or present alternatives to addressing students’ need for free school choice option. Whatever option charter school choose, I wish them God speed. My talents and efforts will be better spent elsewhere.

Monise Seward is a mother, former special education teacher in Gwinnett County, blogger, tweeter, and volunteer advocate for parents of children with special needs. She is also founder of the Millennium Scholars Academy, a once-proposed charter school in the Snellville area.