Fulton Eyes Another Charter School To Improve Graduation Rate

Staff Report

The Fulton County School System is calling for outside proposals to create a high school charter school that offers innovative approaches to instruction.

The Request For Charter Proposals process, developed by Fulton County Schools and the first of its kind in Georgia, strategically aligns a charter school’s petition with the district’s strategic plan goals of improving graduation rates and increasing college and career readiness.

The 2014 request for proposals call for creation of a high school charter that features a “well-rounded curriculum targeting improved graduation rates, an enhanced school culture, and stronger student performance,” the system said in a press release.

The target geographic area for the charter is College Park, East Point and Hapeville, as school system data suggests that high schools in those areas are not on track to meet the district’s goal of 90 percent graduation rate by 2017. Data also suggests that many of the schools have lower standardized test scores than the district average.

The successful charter petitioner will be located in the soon-to-be-vacated Josephine “Jo” Wells Education Center at 554 Parkway Drive in Hapeville.

Formerly an elementary school that now houses administrative offices for the school district, the Jo Wells Center is a fully equipped campus featuring 19 classrooms, an office suite and a cafeteria. Located within walking distance of the Tom E. Morris Sports Complex, Hapeville Elementary School and the Hapeville branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, the building also is accessible by public transportation.

It will become available once the school district completes consolidation of its central office operations to one building and will be offered to the successful charter petitioner under a lease/purchase arrangement. The charter’s target opening is fall 2016.

Last May, Fulton County Schools issued its first Request For Charter Proposals which outlined the district’s academic focus areas and asked petitioners to submit their school plans for addressing those needs.

As a result, a successful petition was selected and approved for the Latin Grammar School (grades K-5) and the Latin College Preparatory School (grades 6-8). These will open next fall on the campus of Oak Knoll Elementary School in East Point, which is closing due to the construction of a new elementary school in the area.

With a total of 10 start-up charter schools in its school choice portfolio, Fulton County Schools is considered one of Georgia’s most charter-friendly school systems.

Currently, eight charter school alternatives already are offered to students: Amana Academy, Main Street Academy, Fulton Sunshine Academy, KIPP South Fulton Academy, Fulton Science Academy High School, Hapeville Charter Middle School, Hapeville Career Academy and Chattahoochee Hills Charter School. The two Latin schools are scheduled to open next fall.

The deadline to submit a formal petition to Fulton County Schools is January 16, 2015.

More information about creating a charter school may be found at the Georgia Department of Education Charter Division website. Detailed information about the Fulton County Schools Request for Charter Proposals can also be found online.

(Photo credit: Patch file)