Press Releases

Eleven charter schools that had been approved by the now defunct Georgia Charter Schools Commission, have been approved Tuesday by the Georgia Board of Education.

GCSA President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Roberts said of the vote: “We are extremely pleased that the state acted as quickly as it did to address this issue. Superintendent John Barge, members of the State Board of Education, and the Charter Schools Division are to be commended for cutting through the government bureaucracy and other barriers to do what is right for the students and families impacted by the Supreme Court decision to disband the Georgia Charter Schools Commission.  Now we are hopeful the Governor and members of the State legislature are working to find a way to make the funding levels more viable for these schools.”

Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker during Day 2 of the National Alliance for Public Schools’ annual National Charter Schools Conference, scheduled for June 20-23 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Clinton, the 42^nd president of the United States, will deliver his remarks during the General Session at 11:30 a.m., June 21, after receiving the National Alliance’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

In response to the Supreme Court ruling declaring the Georgia Charter Schools Commission “unconstitutional,” GCSA President/CEO Tony Roberts wrote an op-ed that is scheduled to be published in the May 23 issue of the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s editorial page.
Here is an excerpt from the piece:
It’s important to remember that the commission was created after local [...]

Nearly 500 charter schools supporters rallied on the front steps of the Georgia State Capitol Building Tuesday, in support of the 16 charter schools approved by the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, which was ruled unconstitutional by four of the seven judges on the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday. The event was highlighted by spirited remarks from influential politicians such as Georgia House Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones, Sen. Chip Rogers and Rep. Alisha Morgan, as well as Ivy Preparatory Head of School Nina Gilbert, Ivy Prep sixth grader Lauren Williams, Peachtree Hope Principal Kendra Shipman, Museum School mom Annemarie Eades and GCSA President/CEO Tony Roberts.

Thousands of charter school supporters will gather on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol Building on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., (Washington Street side) to protest Monday’s ruling by the state Supreme Court, declaring the Georgia Charter Schools Commission unconstitutional. Also, this afternoon at 5 p.m., there will be a rally and show of support for charter schools at Ivy Preparatory Academy (3705 Engineering Drive, Norcross), which was approved by the Commission in 2008.

Click “read more” to read the official statement from GCSA President/CEO Tony Roberts.

By a 4-3 vote, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the Georgia Charter Schools Commission and the  la2008 law that helped create it, HB81, are unconstitutional. The Georgia Charter Schools Association will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. today, at its headquarters — 600 West Peachtree Street — to provide more details.

Also, there will be a rally of all charter school supporters tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10:30 a.m., on the Washington Street side of the Georgia State Capitol Building. Stay tuned for further developments.

A celebration of Georgia’s charter schools at Atlantic Station’s Central Park, drew hundreds of onlookers Sunday, and Monday, Gov. Nathan Deal signed a proclamation dubbing this week Charter Schools Week in Georgia.

Later this week, State Schools Superintendent John Barge will visit a south Georgia charter school and a Douglasville charter school will host a “Charter First Friday” event.

The two events Sunday and Monday kicked off National Charter Schools Week (May 1-7), a celebration and acknowledgement of the accomplishments of quality charter schools across the nation.