Why I Love My School

Joe Ani is confident the DeKalb County school board will do the right thing.

The right thing, as he and scores of DeKalb parents who attended Monday night's county school board meeting see it, is to allow their charter schools to remain open.

Ani has two children attending Peachtree Hope Charter School in DeKalb's Parkview neighborhood.

He and his children and as well as other parents representing Peachtree Hope and the Museum School in Avondale Estates, implored board members to give their schools the approvals they needed to continue to operate.

Both schools, as well as 15 other state approved charter schools have unceratain futures because of a state supreme court ruling last month that found their formation unconstitutional.

The court said the state doesn't have the authority to establish grammar and high schools. That right only belongs to local school districts, the court ruled.

That means the two DeKalb schools have to obtain a from DeKalb's school board.

The board will vote next week on the matter. It is expected that district officials will recommend the board give each school a one-year waiver, allowing both to reopen this upcoming school term.

They then would be free to apply for a five-year charter with DeKalb County.