What

started out as a dispute between the Coweta County School

Board and a group of concerned parents trying to start a

charter school has now garnered the attention of the

state's Republican Party.

Late last

week, Republican Party chairman Chuck Clay expressed

agreement with a recent state school board decision to

withhold $160,000 in federal funds to the system's

charter school, Central Technical, until the local school

board decides on the parents' Odyssey School petition.

"The

state school board was absolutely right to withhold

Coweta County's funding until they obey the law. The

Coweta County School Board needs to explain why a charter

school run by the school system receives quick approval,

while a parent-initiated charter is repeatedly denied,

even after the parents offer three separate revisions to

appease them," said Clay.

Linda

Hamrick, who also works with the state Republican Party,

said the party is staunchly in favor of parent-initiated

charter schools and is glad the state school board is

trying to put some teeth in the legislation that allowed

parents to initiate charter school petitions.

Clay

believes the message sent by the state school board is

loud and clear.

"We

applaud the new state school board for taking a stand on

behalf of parents who are working for reform within the

system and who want a better education for their

children. Maybe now parent-initiated charter schools will

have a fighting chance in Georgia," he said.

The charter

school controversy in Coweta County started last April

when the Odyssey Group first broached the idea of a

charter school.

Since that

time, Odyssey officials have revised the petition three

times, but have not received approval from the Coweta

County Board of Education to start the school.

The board

is scheduled to discuss the subject again at its Sept. 14

meeting.

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