The Coweta Charter Academy in Senoia will open in August after all. Despite being turned down for local funding by a near majority of the Coweta County Board of Education, the Georgia Dept. of Education (DOE) announced July 14 that the school operated by Florida-based Charter Schools USA will receive the local share equivalent in funding for the school year that begins in three weeks.
Charter Schools USA spokesman Richard Page said his company was notified of the decision during the late morning hours July 14.
“The State will forward fund the bricks-and-mortar, state-chartered special schools for an amount equal to the average local share in their attendance zones,” said Louis Erste, Charter Schools Division Director for DOE. “This will bring state-chartered special school revenues to the same amount they would have received as (Georgia Charter) Commission schools.”
Page said the state’s decision means that the Coweta Charter Academy will open for grades K-4 in August.
“We’re very excited that the Governor has demonstrated leadership in support of school choice initiatives,” said Page. “We’ll be opening on time and as planned and we look forward to continuing to operate the Senoia school.”
Some of the state’s charter schools recently learned that state funding would be available for the coming school year. The Coweta school board, however, subsequently voted on a measure that essentially denied local funding for the school. Only board member April Parker opposed the decision, having sided with parents on the issue.
