The following statement is from Dr. Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, in response to the recent decision by the Bulloch and Gwinnett County School Boards to appeal a May 7 ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Wendy L. Shoob.
“After hearing arguments by attorneys [Friday, May 7] representing the school districts suing to close the Charter School Commission and the schools it has authorized, it became abundantly clear that Gwinnett County and other like-minded school districts do not like the law passed to give children and their parents choices to attend public charter schools throughout the state.
“They think they have a monopoly on education and will go to any length or expense to exert their power. But our State legislature and Governor rightly saw the need for expansion of charter schools in our state and passed HB881 into law which created the Georgia Charter Schools Commission.
“We welcome the quick consideration of this matter by the Georgia Supreme Court so the children of Ivy Preparatory Academy in Norcross and Charter Conservatory of the Arts and Technology in Statesboro will not have to live in daily fear that their school of choice is closed. They and their tax paying parents chose those schools knowing that “one size does not fit all.
“These two schools are some of the highest performing public schools in the State. They are models of what public schools can be. I call on parents to direct the members of their school district boards to get back to the business of educating children and stop wasting time and money fighting a law which has been ruled constitutional and is good for our children in the strongest possible terms.”
Tony Roberts, Ph. D.
CEO Georgia Charter Schools Association
