GCPS Superintendent: Georgia 'Has Become Our Opponent' in Education

Alvin Wilbanks' statement on the Charter School Amendment cites "efforts by some to ... dismantle public education."

GCPS Superintendent: Georgia 'Has Become Our Opponent' in Education

Alvin Wilbanks' statement on the Charter School Amendment cites "efforts by some to ... dismantle public education."

From Suwanee Patch Updated, Nov. 9, 1:55 p.m. Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks has issued a statement expressing disappointment that Georgia voters passed the Charter Schools Amendment on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The state's voters, by a strong majority, approved Amendment One, which allows for state officials to approve publicly funded charter schools, without the permission of local school boards. Wilbanks' statement said the amendment "is not in the best interest of students and public education in this state." -- How do you feel about the Charter Schools Amendment passing? Do you feel the Gwinnett system should remain the sole authority for charter schools in this county? Share your thoughts in the comments below. "We are …

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Video: Students Discuss Ga.'s Charter School Amendment

Two students speak out against the charter school amendment, saying, "Vote no."

This video was produced by the non-profit Southern Education Foundation. See also:

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Charter School Amendment is the Epitome of Small Government

An Op-ed by Virginia Galloway in support of the charter school referendum.

Virginia Galloway is state director of the Americans for Prosperity, a group formed in Georgia in 2006 “to promote economic freedom, less taxation, spending and regulation at the local, state and federal level. By: Virginia Galloway The State School Superintendent claims that he is conservative and is opposing the Charter School Amendment on Nov. 6 because it creates bureaucracy. I’m a firm believer in limited government and work hard against the encroachment of big government policies on our daily lives. And if you’re like me, you know it happens all too often. But the simple truth is, the charter school amendment is the epitome of small government because it ultimately gives parents more power and freedom to choose the best education for…

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Improving Education is Truly a Bi-Partisan Issue

Joint op-ed in support of the Charter School issue by Jan Jones, Speaker Pro Tem of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Alisha Thomas Morgan, a Democratic member of the House.

Between now and November, hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising will be spent telling us all the differences between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. They will disagree on nearly every issue, but one area where they have found common ground is the need for more public charter schools. We feel the same way in the Georgia House of Representatives. While there are many issues that our constituents expect us to draw a hard line in the sand and oppose much of what the opposition party supports, education reform is frankly too important to let our differences in political parties get in the way. As the Republican Speaker Pro Tem and a leading Democratic voice on education, we are together asking voters …

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School Board Votes to Renew Contract for Norcross Charter

The board did have two recommendations for New Life Academy of Excellence, however.

Gwinnett County Schools voted to renew the contract of New Life Academy of Excellence, a charter school with campuses in Duluth and Norcross, through June of 2017. The renewal contract will now be sent on to the Georgia Dept. of Education for approval. The current contract was set to expire on June 30, 2012.  The application was submitted to the Gwinnett County School Board last Thurs., Oct. 20. Gwinnett Schools said that in petitioning for renewal, the school met all of the requirements of the Georgia Charter School Act. The board did say their recommendation came with two contingencies, according to Jorge Quintana, spokesperson for Gwinnett Schools. They asked that the school submit a plan and timetable for accelerated math options for …

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Ivy Preparatory Academy May Open DeKalb Campus

State Board of Education to meet Monday to decide on recommending a Special State Charter for the DeKalb-based school.

It's been a roller coaster ride for head of school Nina Gilbert since the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Ivy Preparatory Academy, an all-girls charter school in Peachtree Corners, could no longer operate as a commissioned charter school. Ivy Prep's future was finally decided this month when the school's board accepted Gwinnett County Public School's offer to operate as a Gwinnett Charter school. That was the good news, the not so good news was that the funding per student was cut substantially from what it received as a commissioned charter school. And there would be no funding from the Gwinnett school system for nearly half of its students. The school currently enrolls some 480 students of which 190 live in DeKalb County. Under the …

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Ivy Preparatory Academy Receives Charter Approval from State

The State Board of Education approved GCPS's charter school offer.

The 450 Ivy Preparatory Academy's students whose future had been in limbo since the Georgia Supreme Court's ruling last month, will be returning to the school's Peachtree Corners campus to attend classes this fall after all. Ivy Prep, an all-girls school, was among 16 former commission charter schools whose future was in jeopardy when the Supreme Court ruled the commissioned charter schools unconstitutional. The decision was brought about from a 2009 complaint that Gwinnett County Public Schools had filed that argued local school districts should have sole authority in opening and funding local charter schools. The State Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in GCPS's favor. Tuesday the State Board of Education approved State-Chartered Special School  …

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Ivy Prep Declines GCPS Charter Offer

Leaders of the all-girls charter school located in Peachtree Corners decided against being a part of the Gwinnett school system.

In a surprise announcement at Gwinnett County Public School's monthly board meeting Thursday night, Ivy Preparatory Academy's head of school, Nina Gilbert told the five-member school board that she would not accept its offer to become a Gwinnett charter school. The all-girls school located in Peachtree Corners had lost its charter last month when the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that commissioned charter schools were unconstitutional. Standing before the board Gilbert said, "Your proposed funding was much lower than what we received as a commissioned school and very close to what we receive as a state special charter school. "Therefore, we respectfully rescind our request for approval from Gwinnett County School Board, and we ask that you …

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Ivy Preparatory Academy's Future Still Undecided

The Supreme Court's recent decision keeps the Peachtree Corners charter school in limbo.

Ivy Preparatory Academy, the all-girls commissioned charter school located in Peachtree Corners had hoped that the Georgia Supreme Court might reverse its earlier decision that ruled against its charter. But the decision that the school's charter was unconstitutional was upheld yesterday. In a briefly worded statement, the Georgia Supreme Court reconfirmed its position saying; "Upon consideration of the Motion for Reconsideration filed in this case, it is ordered that it be hereby denied." The Supreme Court of Georgia denied the motion for reconsideration filed in the charter schools case (Gwinnett County School District v. Cox, S10A1773). As with the original decision, the vote was 4-to-3 to deny the motion. Sen. Fran Millar (R-Atlanta), …

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