It appears

the long-simmering discussions between the Coweta County

Board of Education and a group seeking to open a charter

school are nearing an end.

The school

board and the Odyssey Group have been talking about a

parent-operated charter school since April. But at

Tuesday night's school board meeting, curriculum

coordinator Dr. Judy Robinson told the board that the

group had addressed many of the concerns the school

system had about the charter school and was waiting for

comment from the board.

The Odyssey

Group has filed four different petitions trying to get

the board to approve its charter to start a school with

100 students this year.

The board

has sent detailed questions back to the Odyssey Group

after each petition and quizzed the group on such issues

as site for the school and funding.

Robinson

said many of the board's questions had been addressed in

the latest response from Odyssey and its director Jan

Buchwald.

Board

member Harry Mullins emphasized that when he provided

feedback, it was only his opinion.

"It's

only me. It doesn't commit the whole board," he

said.

Board

members pledged to deliver their comments to

superintendent of education Richard Brooks and Brooks

said he would compile the comments to deliver back to the

Odyssey Group. The board has 60 days to act on the latest

petition.

In a

related move, the board approved a policy for all future

charter school applications. The policy calls for all

future applications to be submitted by Nov. 15, if the

school intends to open the following fall.

"Nov.

15 gives us a lot of planning time and it also gives the

charter group plenty of time," said board Chairman

Mike Sumner.