Governor Nathan Deal signed another charter school bill yesterday, HB 797, the counterpart to HR 1162. Passed by the senate in April, 1162 allows voters to decide whether the state constitution should be amended to allow the state to approve charter schools. Last May, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that local school districts have the sole authority to grant or deny charters. If Georgians vote to amend the constitution in November 1162 and 797 will essentially reverse last May’s Supreme Court decision.

The bill signed yesterday addresses the implementation of 1162, should citizens vote its approval in November. It also creates a State Charter School Commission. The commission will review charters and ensure charters are consistent with state educational goals. More significantly, though, 797 will create a funding mechanism for charter schools.

Last month, Oakland Academy Charter School’s application for a charter was denied by the Gilmer County Board of Education in part due to funding. During the public meeting in February, Superintendent Bryan Dorsey and board members expressed concern that a charter school in Gilmer County would take money away from the existing schools. Although still vague at this point, the new mechanism may alleviate this concern.

According to Stephanie Mayfield from Governor Deal’s office, this funding will come from the state’s general fund. Mayfield, though, specified that the

“Funding will be earned per student enrolled. The money will not ‘follow’ the student exactly because the local funds earned will remain with the district and will not ‘follow’ the student to the state charter school. HB 797 provides an additional state allocation beyond the QBE (Quality Basic Education) base which all schools receive.”

Conversely, though, local BOEs recently discovered that they will not receive an increase in their usual QBE funding.

In an email this week, Mayfield highlighted some sections of the bill which address funding. For instance, in line 274, the bill states,

“Students in state charter schools will earn QBE (which varies for all Georgia students according to whether he or she qualifies for extra funding for special and gifted education); grants such as transportation and nutrition, only if offered and earned; an increment to make up for the lack of local funding and tied to the lowest 5 property tax wealth school systems in the state; an increment to make up for the lack of local funding to pay for facility leases and tied to the state facilities average.-No charter school students, locally approved or state approved, in Georgia earn central office funding (superintendent, school board and central office staff) per this legislation and current law. -A “bricks and mortar” state charter high school student without special needs will earn $6400. The same Atlanta Public School student would earn almost $15,000, including state, local, federal, and SPLOST funding. The same Sumter County student would earn about $9000.”

Governor Deal signed the bill yesterday at the Cherokee Charter Academy in Canton.

“Georgia’s parents want more options,”

he said,

“and it is my duty as governor to see that they have them. These schools help students trapped in underperforming schools and aid communities that want to invest in new and imaginative ways of learning for their children….Approving this amendment will restore the process for creating state-charted schools that existed before the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s system for granting charters. I am confident Georgia voters will take advantage of the opportunity this fall to support charter schools in our state.”