ATLANTA, GA — April 29, 2013: Last week the Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) ran a 48 hour Atlanta Braves ticket giveaway contest on Facebook. It asked for a five-word answer to the following question:
Tell us, in five words, why your community should have a public charter school?
More than 12,000 people saw the contest on Facebook. The winning five-word answer, from Jason Massengale, was simple: “I live in Bibb County.”
“While many clever entries came in, the blunt truth of Jason Massengale’s entry really grabbed our attention,” said RaShaun Holliman, Director of Outreach for the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “There are currently no public charter school options in Bibb County, and community frustration with the traditional public school system seems to be at an all time high.”
Runner up entries included: “It’s time for a change!” and “A solid education shows accountability.”
Charter schools are tuition-free, locally grown public schools that are held accountable for improved student achievement in exchange for the freedom to be flexible and innovative. Several groups in Middle Georgia are currently developing charter school petitions in hopes of expanding public school choices.
“We hope Mr. Massengale enjoys the Braves game,” Holliman said, “but even more, we hope to see strong charter school petitions come out of Bibb County. It really is time for more public school choices and more school accountability.”
For more information on how to start a charter school, and for technical assistance with the petitioning process, visit www.gacharters.org.
