What Does Ralston’s New Appointment Mean for The Oakland Academy?

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“Dr. Ledbetter is a strong proponent of charter school systems and understands how they can positively affect our state’s education system.”

In a December 13th press release, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R- Blue Ridge) announced the appointment of Dublin City School Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ledbetter to the Charter Advisory Committee. According to the press release the committee

“makes recommendations for approval or denial of charter systems petitions and advises the State Board of Education.”

On the appointment, Speaker Ralston affirmed,

“Dr. Ledbetter is a strong proponent of charter school systems and understands how they can positively affect our state’s education system.”

The appointment and committee remind Gilmer citizens of the hurdles Oakland Academy Charter School (OACS) faces in opening its doors.

Back in May, The Gilmer County Board of Education (BOE) closed Oakland Elementary School for financial reasons, according to The Board. In the summer, Oakland decided to try to reopen as a charter school, asking the BOE for an extension to the application deadline. The Board denied Oakland’s request.

On December 15th Oakland or OACS officially submitted its charter petition to the Gilmer County Board of Education and the Georgia DOE Charter Schools Division. In the December 15th press release, OACS said that it expects the BOE to acknowledge OACS as

“qualifying under the Charter School Act of 1998 Code Section 20-2-2063, and serving the public interest as a valuable addition to the system of schools in Gilmer County.”

OACS has faced opposition from the BOE from the very beginning. First, Oakland was closed by the BOE and then The Board denied its request for an extension to the deadline. During a May 2011 BOE meeting, Superintendent Bryan Dorsey also denied OACS Board Member to make a presentation on behalf of OACS.

So, with such adversities, can Ralston’s new appointment assist Oakland in overcoming its obstacles with the BOE?

Dr. Ledbetter told FYN this week that, although he looks forward to his new appointment, the committee is not necessarily designed to assist individual schools. The committee, he said, is intended to assist school districts that petition as a charter system. Entire school systems have the option of petitioning for charter status, if they so wish. According to Ledbetter, the advantage to this status is that these school systems would have the option of waiving certain otherwise federally mandated obligations. He said that the Georgia DOE Charter School Division typically assists individual schools with charter petitions.

At a November presentation, Founding OACS Board Member Dr. Raiford Cantrell said that if the BOE denies the request it has 60 days to respond to OACS with reasons why the petition was denied. When asked what happens if the request is denied more than once, Cantrell told FYN that

“at some point we would anticipate that we would meet all of the requirements that the local board has and that the application will be approved.”

The BOE must act on the petition by February 13, 2012. FYN contacted the Gilmer County Board of Education for a response to the petition. Superintendent Dorsey told FYN he has yet to see the petition and therefore could not comment on the document. Board Chairperson Kathy Jones said that she too has no information on the Oakland application and therefore could not comment. Vice Chairman Michael Parks and member Foster McArthur both told us that they have not seen the document yet either and did not comment on the petition.

In the weeks to come, FYN will follow the progress of this story as Oakland inches toward the February deadline.

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