Atlanta — April 2, 2013 There are currently no public charter school options for families in the City of Valdosta or in Lowndes County, but that may soon change. Interest in public charter schools is at an all-time high, and several Valdosta area groups have requested training on how to write a charter school petition.
The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) has responded with Charter Development 101, an in-depth class designed to help communities and individuals understand the scope and the rigors of the charter petitioning process. The class will be offered in Valdosta, GA on Saturday, April 13, 2013, 10:00 am to 1:30 pm at Valdosta State University, Student Union, Meeting Room 2 (3rd floor).
In the November 6th election, 3 out of every 5 voters in the City of Valdosta voted in favor of Amendment One (the charter schools amendment). Valdosta, like rural and metro areas across Georgia, are demanding the creation of more high quality public school options in K-12 education.
“Our office has been flooded with phone calls and emails with requests for information on how to open and successfully operate a public charter school,” said Kelly Cadman, GCSA’s V.P. for School Services. “The charter petitioning process is complex and the timeline from concept to approval can be long. Charter Development 101, is a great first step in orienting potential petitioners about what is required to launch a high quality charter school.”
Charter Development 101 will cover:
- The charter landscape in Georgia
- Developing your founding board
- The intent of the charter law in Georgia
- Educational innovation
- Developing a mission statement
- Community engagement and support
- GaDOE Guidelines
- Establishing a timeline and next steps
- Q & A
Designed for individuals and groups, the 3.5 hour CharterDevelopment 101 class costs $75 per person, with discounts available for groups of three or more. Registration is required. Contact Elisa Falco, efalco@gacharters.org, 404-550-9401 for details.
To register online for Charter Development 101, visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6C75H38
