In a firm statement received from the Board of Education (BOE), the five-year charter renewal application has been signed, sealed and delivered and is in the hands of Lake Oconee Academy (LOA).
No more discussions between the two organizations will occur following a lengthy, months-long review. It is a sour pill for LOA and parents who hoped the amendments would be struck from the document.
The BOE says all negotiations are complete, asserting the amendments were needed to both reinforce an existing law and ensure consensus and understanding with both parties.
Signaling “the buck stops here,” the BOE asserts that any delay to the charter is firmly in the hands of the LOA Board of Governors.
“The local Board of Education has fulfilled our responsibility by approving the charter,” said BOE Chairman Dr. Perry Lee. “We encourage LOA parents, staff, and leadership to contact the LOA Board of Governors and encourage Chairman Michael Tompkins to sign and send the charter petition for approval at the state level.”
Tompkins earlier told the Lake Oconee News that LOA would continue the negotiations to address amendments made to the petition after it was approved at this month’s BOE meeting. Hours of discussion over several months were aimed at clarifying the “what” and “whys” and moving forward to an efficient resolution of the charter for both parties.
LOA is a charter school that falls under the governance of a charter contract with the Board of Education. As such, The Charter Schools Act of 1998, part of the Georgia code, is the law that also governs charter schools. Charter schools are public schools and do not charge tuition and often outperform local schools within the same county system, which is the case with LOA.
LOA, however, has exhibited the desire to continue to operate independently of any BOE stipulations. Although it is also supported by separate funding initiatives, such as a foundation, LOA also receives state and local funding.
The charter renewal process began in April, and the BOE asked for clarifications to its petition in the following months. LOA CEO Brad Bowling and Superintendent Dr. Chris Houston met to clarify what must be in the charter for approval. LOA was then asked to resubmit the petition.
LOA’s second submission needed only a few revisions to move forward for approval. These amendments approved at last month’s BOE meeting are both state requirements that must be included or clarified to avoid misunderstanding and prevent future conflict.
These amendments were:
• The number of students enrolled and funded at LOA would cap out at 1,144 students. The charter also allows for a new middle school facility to replace the existing modular buildings and $2.5 million in ESPLOST funds over five years.
• Language clarifying how ESPLOST funding is allocated. The funds are to be used when needed and not all allocated proportionally by the number of students.
Clarity was given to the issue of the number of students enrolled versus the number of students funded for the life of the charter.
• Confirmation and understanding of an existing code that specifies that any future building housing students is subject to approval by the BOE before occupancy and that all plans must be approved by the facilities department of the local board.
• Confirmation and understanding that no children of part-time employees will be given priority enrollment. Additionally, a grandfathering clause accounts for Greene County residents only.
No current student will be disenrolled from LOA due to this policy providing they are a Greene County resident or the child of an LOA employee.
Once signed and ultimately approved by the Georgia Department of Education, the charter term will begin in July of next year.