Press Releases

JOIN G-PAN! GCSA urges schools to share the email addresses of parents and households enrolled in your school to help expand the Georgia Parent Advocacy Network (G-PAN). Read more to learn how to join G-PAN and how to register others as well.

The Georgia Supreme Court has established deadlines for the filing of briefs in the HB881 appeal.

Eight school districts are suing to have HB881 — the law that led to the creation of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission — ruled unconstitutional. They must file their brief on or before August 5. The defendants in the case — which include the Commission, the State Board of Education and two charter schools — must file on or before August 25.

Oral arguments will more than likely occur in November or December 2010, with a final opinion rendered by March 2011.

Five of the leading candidates for governor of Georgia — Thurbert Baker (D), Nathan Deal (R), Karen Handel (R), Eric Johnson (R) and John Oxendine (R) — expressed their approval of charter schools recently in a questionnaire sent to them by the Georgia Charter Schools Association. Read their unedited survey forms here.

The Georgia Charter Schools Commission (GCSC) on Friday approved the creation of two statewide virtual charter schools — Provost Academy Georgia and Kaplan Academy of Georgia — that together will serve grades 4-12. A virtual school offers courses to students via the Internet with teachers available online and by telephone.

The Georgia Department of Education has announced that planning grant applications for individuals and groups interested in starting a charter school are now available on the GDOE website. The deadline to submit applications is July 1.

In a strongly-worded statement, Georgia Charter Schools Association Chief Executive Officer Tony Roberts, Ph. D., defends the decision made by a Fulton County Superior Court judge that affirmed the constitutionality of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission and the schools it has approved. He also calls on parents to “direct the members of their school district boards to get back to the business of educating children.”

In a stunningly quick and decisive ruling today, Fulton County (Ga.) Superior Court Judge Wendy L. Shoob declared the Georgia Charter Schools Commission is constitutional. In her ruling, Judge Shoob said, “The General Assembly has provided sufficient guidelines. Commission charter schools are not required to be under the control or managed by an elected board of education. The funding is constitutional.”