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Charter schools ‘integral’ to education, says state superintendent

By CARYN GRANT
Macon Telegraph
October 7, 2011

State School Superintendent John Barge applauded the work of charter school educators and founders Thursday, calling charter schools an integral part of the education system.

“The strength of the charter system in Georgia is a source of great pride,” he told the more than 200 charter school supporters that convened at the Wilson Convention Center in Macon for the first of a two-day Georgia Charter Schools Association conference. “Charters are as strong as they’ve ever been,” he said.

Charter schools receive public money, but they are not subject to the same rules and regulations that other public schools are. In exchange, they must produce particular achievement results, which are outlined in each school’s charter.

The ninth annual conference is being held outside the metro Atlanta area for the first time. Macon was chosen partially for its central location, but also to allow midstate residents to learn more about the options that come with charter schools, said Tony Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the state organization.

Macon’s first charter school is on course to open its doors next school year.

“Charter schools in Macon, the idea is just catching on,” said Gail Fowler, a former Southwest High School principal and chairwoman of the Macon Academy of Excellence governing board.

Around the state, the charter school movement is growing, now totaling more than 200 charter schools in Georgia, but many of those schools are located in and around Atlanta.

“A lot of other areas are really watching to see what Macon is going to do and see if the Macon Academy of Excellence is going to come to fruition,” Fowler said.

The goal, she said, is to offer a quality, rigorous education and provide that option to Bibb County parents.

Having that option is the key for the Georgia Charter Schools Association. Right now, only 4 percent of Georgia students are able to attend charter schools because of availability, Roberts said.

He hopes to raise that number to at least 10 percent, he said, because that is a level at which they can have an impact.

“There’s no magic in a charter,” Roberts said, noting that charter school teachers teach from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with many of them having half-days on Saturday. “There’s nothing a charter school can do that a traditional school couldn’t do, but you have to have the will to do it.”