Fulton County wants to give more schools a chance to adopt an education model that’s already being embraced by local Sandy Springs schools.
On Nov. 15, the Fulton County Board of Education voted to submit an application to the state to become a charter system, a status that would allow the system more flexibility than it generally receives under state guidelines. The trade-off is that Fulton County schools have more accountability as a charter system. A charter contract between a school and its authorizer, usually the state or a local school system, establishes academic benchmarks schools have to meet, according to the Georgia Department of Education.
District 7 Fulton County School Board member Julia Bernath said a charter system will be a boon to local schools.
“The advantage is that many more of the decisions can be made at much more of a local level by the school system and once the school system’s earned its autonomy,” she said.
Sandy Springs currently has five charter schools: Spalding Drive Charter Elementary, Ridgeview Charter Middle and Sandy Springs Charter Middle, Riverwood International Charter School and North Springs Charter High School.
All are “conversion charter schools,” meaning the schools existed as a traditional public school before seeking charter status.
According to Spalding Elementary’s website, the schools charter allows it to have smaller class sizes of 15 to 17 students, a dress code and required parent involvement.
Charter schools have their own governing body, a non-profit board of directors, according to the Georgia DOE. A charter system means the entire system is operating under a charter via an agreement with the state. According to the Georgia DOE, there are eight charter systems statewide.
Samantha Evans, spokeswoman for Fulton County Schools, said a charter system offers several advantages over having a system with individual charter schools. They include:
• Assuring a common curriculum and basic instructional practices among all schools
• Employees remaining employees of the school system
• Keeping the school board accountable for the performance of the schools in the community
• Individual schools would not need to develop their own charter applications and would not need to complete annual reports to the state as conversion and start-up charters must do now.
Bernath said the charter system status would allow schools to more easily collaborate with one another, easily hire teachers capable of effectively teaching a subject but aren’t certified and give students other options to meet educational goals. She said a charter system wouldn’t negate the charter status of schools that have already adopted the model.
“We could, if we wanted to, allow high school students to earn credit for internships or develop a portfolio instead of an exam,” Bernath said.
Evans said Superintendent Robert Avossa thinks state laws stand in the way of outside-the-box thinking at traditional schools.
“Dr. Avossa thinks that there are aspects of state law that discourage innovation and alternative practices that could improve student achievement,” Evans said. “He is excited about the opportunity to implement new approaches to managing our people, instruction and resources.”
Evans said the school system expects a decision on its application in May.
The charter school model has been readily accepted by Sandy Springs schools, and Evans said it is likely a product of the city’s population.
“The diverse student body attending our schools in Sandy Springs lends itself to innovative models. In addition, both high schools are magnet schools – one for Performing Arts and Math/Science and the other for International Studies,” Evans said. “The charter model has allowed them to implement these programs more effectively.”
Bernath said many of the ideas developed at Sandy Springs’ charter schools have been adopted at other county schools.
“I think that we’ve had some very progressive thinkers in Sandy Springs and I think they’ve been willing to go out on a limb to try ideas that are different and innovative,” she said.
