On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the State Charter Schools Commission approved a five-year charter petition for Spring Creek Charter Academy (SCCA), a replication of Pataula Charter Academy (PCA) in Edison. As a result of the vote, students in Decatur, Miller and Seminole counties will now have a high-quality public charter school option.
Photo Courtesy of the SCSC: Pataula CFO Cheryl Weathersby, SCSC Commissioner Tony Lowden and Pataula Superintendent Kylie Holley
Commissioners gave the approval after receiving a recommendation from commission staff members. The recommendation stated, “PCA has consistently demonstrated success as a state charter school and has a track record of meeting SCSC performance standards. Therefore, SCSC staff has strong reason to believe that Spring Creek will be positioned for long-term success.” School founders told members of the commission that more than 140 students have already sought to pre-enroll at the school. Pataula Charter Academy moved forward with school replication after receiving assistance from the Georgia Charter School Association’s Charter Incubator. Georgia Charter Schools Association is supporting Pataula Charter Academy with the replication of Spring Creek Academy as part of its New School Development Division.
Pataula Charter Academy has consistently surpassed College and Career Ready Performance Index scores of the five local districts in its attendance zone from 2014-2017. PCA also outperformed Decatur, Seminole and Miller Counties during the same time period.
“Pataula Charter Academy is grateful the State Charter Schools Commission approved the petition for Spring Creek Charter Academy,” said Kylie Holley, Superintendent of PCA, “We are excited about expanding our educational program to more students in southwest Georgia and plan to build on our proven record of success.”
Pataula CFO Cheryl Weathersby; GCSA Executive VP Elisa A. Falco´and Pataula Superintendent Kylie Holley
Spring Creek Charter Academy is expected to open during the 2019-2020 school year. Initially, the school will seek to enroll approximately 276 students in grades K-5. The school will add one grade level each year, eventually serving students in grades K-12. The existing board that oversees PCA will also serve as the governing board for Spring Creek Charter Academy but will be expanding to include community members of SCCA.
SCCA seeks to enroll a diverse group of students. School founders have created a marketing plan and are actively working to engage families of all backgrounds to help ensure the student makeup is reflective of the communities SCCA will serve.
“For years Pataula Charter Academy has served as a lighthouse school in its community, providing a high-quality public school option for students in southwest Georgia,” said State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia Executive Director Bonnie Holliday. “We are delighted that more Georgia students will have access to Pataula’s high-level, rigorous academic experience through Spring Creek Charter Academy.”
Spring Creek Charter Academy will use a project-based instruction 
model, standards-based assessing and reporting, and have a focus on a positive school culture.
The mission of Spring Creek Charter Academy is to prepare students for life-long success by partnering with families and communities to create a safe, nurturing learning environment that engages and challenges students, fosters creativity, and instills integrity and leadership skills that inspire students to reach their full potential.
