Although they have sent their children to another school this year, former Spalding Drive Elementary parents have made progress on plans to start a charter school to bring the entity back to life.
The Save Spalding Committee will soon name a charter school operator, committee chairman Raymond Grote told Rough Draft Atlanta. The operator will help submit charter school applications. The school districts under consideration include Fulton County Schools (FCS), DeKalb County School District (DCSD), and possibly Cobb County Schools by the fall deadlines. The committee will make a state charter school application at the same time.
The committee’s preference is Fulton County, which would draw students from those schools. A state-approved charter could draw students from Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and possibly Cherokee County.
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The committee will make a formal offer to FCS to buy the former Spalding Drive Elementary School with the help of a commercial real estate broker.
“We need to add some expertise to round out this board, and two, we won’t have two spouses on the board. I’ve been sort of educated that that can lead to the perception of conflict of interest and is not great from a governance standpoint, at least in the eyes of people who make these kinds of decisions,” Grote said.
He pointed out that the board needs a certified public accountant with audit familiarity and educational support from an administrator or a long-time educator who is well-versed in curriculum and operations, ideally at a school.
The charter school committee will have workshops or meetings with the school districts. One of the differentiators will be that they are bringing on a charter school operator.
Other parents and community members have started charter schools without an operator. But Grote believes they will have a better outcome if they have an operator for the school.
National Heritage Academies (NHA) recently gave a presentation to the Spalding Drive community. Grote said the Grand Rapids, MI-based NHA is a strong, financially secure operator. He said NHA’s finances are strong enough that it could outright purchase a building.
Another operator under consideration is Liberty Classical Schools. Its curriculum is based on a focus on great book, and is run by a Sandy Springs resident. It operates Atlanta Classical Academy and has opened charter schools in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
An advantage to engaging an operator is that the community shouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket. However, at most, the community would need to fundraise for $100,000 to $200,000 to cover some initial operating expenses. Grote said raising that amount from 300 to 400 families would allow each to provide a minimal amount.
Funding for the school’s school year operations comes from the state. Based on what other county charter schools are receiving, Grote said they expect, if approved, to get $10,000 to $12,000 per student. If the county doesn’t approve the charter and it becomes a state charter school, the funds come from the state. Additional funds come from whatever federal school funding may be available.
“It’s all publicly paid for. It serves all populations,” Grote said.
Grote said after speaking with every parent whose child would have attended Spalding Drive, he determined that 300 to 400 parents are interested in the charter school, with a few hundred who would seriously consider it. And 50 parents told him if the new school is at the former Spalding Elementary, their children would attend.
Grote said wait lists for nearby charter schools help them gauge potential students. Higher qualification standards and long wait lists make it more difficult to get accepted to some charter schools in Roswell . A handful in Atlanta, including Atlanta Classical Academy, have wait-lists of 500 to 1,000 students.
The new charter school’s location is central to these other schools. Grote said that makes it clear that they could gain 550 to 600 students, kindergarten through sixth grade. It may grow to include eighth grade. Documentation being submitted with applications and letters of intent states the committee expects 576 students to enroll.
The charter school committee thinks it would cost $8 million to $10 million to purchase Spalding Drive Elementary. Another option would be to secure a long-term lease of a property and do a retrofit for a school. One such option is the former Stars and Strikes location on Roswell Road. Grote anticipates it would cost several million dollars in addition to the lease or purchase price to make that site ready for a school.
