Step 2 — Once the charter petition is approved, a charter-planning grant is granted. The members of the school board propose charter school programs, services and activities that will operate in accordance with the terms of the Charter and all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.
Step 3 — Petition discussion. Members of the board contact a local board of education charter school liaison to discuss the petition process at the local level. They inquire about local deadlines, forms and related information that must be provided in the charter petition application.
Step 4 — New Charter School petition submission. The members of the school board submit a completed petition to the local board of education in which you plan to locate, along with any required forms, templates and appendices.
Step 5 — The local board has 60 days to vote on the charter petition unless the petitioner consents to extend that period.
Step 6 — If the local board approves the charter petition, that petition is submitted to the DOE, along with cover sheets and checklists.
Step 7 — Once the department reviews the approved petition, it will make a recommendation to the state foard of education. The state board will then vote on the petition. A charter can only be granted if the state board votes to approve the petition.
Step 8 — After approval, the petitioner will receive a copy of a charter contract that must be executed by the charter school, the local board of education, and the state board of education. This will become the governing charter contract and will incorporate the terms of the petition and any other agreement that might be reached between the petitioner and the local board of education.
What is a Charter School?
A charter school is a public school that operates according to the terms of a charter or contract that has been approved by a local board of education and the state board of education.
A charter school status would give the local board the ability to waive some state board rules including seat hours required for graduation and number of students per classroom.
Taylor said that this option would benefit the schools and the students.
“(Charter schools offer) the flexibility to see what works best for our boys and girls and meet student achievement,” Taylor said.
In exchange for this flexibility, the charter school is bound by contract to be held accountable for meeting the performance-based objectives specified in the charter.
“Certainly we have high expectations and this will allow us to set student achievement goals and professional standards,” Taylor said.
According to the state Board of Education, Georgia has 113 operational charter schools.
CLICK HERE to learn more about how charter schools are funded and how they operate.
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