The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) ruled earlier this year on an ethics case against Dr. Otho Tucker, former CEO of Lake Oconee Academy (LOA), regarding the priority enrollment of the children of part-time employees at the school.
The alleged conduct was found to have violated multiple standards of the Georgia code of ethics for educators, and the commission recommended and issued a 90-day suspension of Dr. Tucker’s professional certificate following an investigation, according to minutes obtained through an open records request.
The GPSC oversees the preparation, certification, and professional conduct of certified educators employed in Georgia public schools and is responsible for enforcing the state’s code of ethics for educators.
A formal complaint was filed by the Greene County Board of Education (BOE) earlier this year regarding the practice of priority enrollment for the children of part-time employees at the school. The complaint centered on the priority given to a significant number of students over a five-year period.
The Georgia code section 20-2-2066, allowing for the priority enrollment of employees’ children at charter schools, specifies “full-time teacher, professional, or other employee” at the charter school.
LOA has maintained that it has interpreted this code section to also allow for the priority enrollment of part-time employees’ children.
The commission found the BOE’s claims relevant based on supporting documentation from the BOE and issued a letter to the BOE confirming and warranting an investigation.
LOA is subject to the governance of the BOE and is responsible for managing a lottery system that selects students on a waitlist.
The complaint centered on these students' priority admittance and the existing statute's interpretation, which is seen as a loophole to gain entrance over other children on the waitlist.
It was reported that many part-time employees worked less than 10-15 hours a week.
A new state law now specifies part-time employment as being employed at least 20 hours a week and will go into effect next year.
Tucker is widely credited with the successful start-up of the school and its Blue Ribbon status achieved in 2014.
Currently, 1,125 students are enrolled in pre-K through 12th grade at LOA. Tucker, now retired, has been replaced with Dr. Brad Bowling as executive director of LOA and is a candidate for BOE chairman, having won the Republican Primary for the position over current chairman Dr. Perry Lee.
Charter schools are touted as supporting school choice initiatives that have gained ground throughout the United States. They often serve as a choice for parents in blighted and low-performing school systems.
They receive flexibility from certain state and local rules in exchange for higher accountability for raising student achievements. They are governed by a charter that outlines performance mandates and needs.
LOA received its latest five-year charter renewal in the spring following sometimes contentious debates from BOE and LOA.
Lake Oconee News has reached out for comment.
Tucker has declined to comment at this time. LOA has continued to assert that the data received and reported to the PSC was overstated, incorrect, and politically motivated.