Initiative Launches to Provide Support for New Charter Schools in Georgia |
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More Georgia families will soon have the opportunity to send their children to a public school that best meets their individual needs. The Georgia Strategic Charter School Growth Initiative will support the expansion, replication, or creation of high-quality public charter schools in communities throughout the state. The initiative will provide technical assistance and grants to support the creation or expansion of ten charter schools by September 2023. In addition, the initiative will offer information sessions and a new dedicated website to allow Georgians to learn more about public charter schools and their public charter school options. The details of this exciting announcement are being unveiled as charter schools across the state celebrate National Charter Schools Week, a national celebration to raise awareness about public charter schools. Learn more and view the full release.
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State charter schools must prepare school safety plans to provide a safe learning environment for Georgia’s children, teachers, and other school personnel. School safety plans must address, among other incidents, acts of violence and terrorism. Safety plans must be prepared with input from the school community, local law enforcement, juvenile courts, fire service, public safety, and emergency management agencies. Safety plans must address the following strategy areas, at a minimum:
- Training school administrators, teachers, and support staff, including, but not limited to, school resource officers, security officers, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers, on school violence prevention, school security, school threat assessment, mental health awareness, and school emergency planning best practices;
- Evaluating and refining school security measures;
- Updating and exercising school emergency preparedness plans;
- Strengthening partnerships with public safety officials; and,
- Creating enhanced crisis communications plans and social media strategies.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) provides training and technical assistance to public school systems in emergency management and safe school operations, including, but not limited to, crisis response team development, site surveys and safety audits, crisis management planning, exercise design, safe school planning, emergency operations planning, and model school safety plans. In coordination with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), GEMA/HS is hosting the 2022 Georgia School Safety & Homeland Security Conference (GSSHSC) June 21-23, in Columbus, Georgia. Visit GASchoolSafety.com to view event details and special hotel rates. In addition, access the agenda here. GEMA/HS expects to unveil its revised School Safety Plan Guide and Template during the conference on Wednesday, June 22. Contact Christopher Allen at Christopher.allen@gema.ga.gov if you have any questions.
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2022 National School Safety Conference |
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The 2022 National School Safety Conference (NSSC) will be held on July 25-29. The NSSC is the largest, most comprehensive conference focused on all aspects of school safety and security. Centered on national best practices, proven methods and programs, this conference brings together expert keynote presenters into a single forum to provide the highest quality professional development possible in one conference. There will also be opportunities to take advantage of a choice of two complimentary pre-conference sessions as well as almost 50 breakout sessions by current professionals in the fields of education, law enforcement, and school safety. Visit SchoolSafety911.org/schoolsafety for conference details and registration.
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The SCSC held its April and May board meetings on April 25, 2022, and May 20, 2022, respectively. At the April meeting, Executive Director Lauren Holcomb announced the remaining commissioner school visits for this school year and gave schools an overview of some of the relevant legislation passed during the recent session. Michele Neely, President of the State Charter School Foundation, provided updates on the book vending machines gifted to Ethos Classical and Spring Creek Charter Academy, as well as the SCSF's ongoing popular Book Wagon services. Ms. Neely also presented the details of the SCSF's implementation of a $4.1 million GEER II grant. Commissioners approved a 5-year charter renewal for Atlanta Heights Charter School, and for Genesis Innovation Academy to change its grade band to K-12 and include certain co-educational classes. Four schools presented improvement plans based on their performance framework results: Atlanta Heights, Georgia Fugees, Fulton Leadership Academy and International Academy of Smyrna. Public comment came from two officials of the Museum School in Avondale Estates explaining the status of their charter renewal.
At the May Board Meeting, Executive Director Lauren Holcomb announced the SCSC's legislative implementation guidance for charter-related legislation and introduced the Commission's summer 2022 interns. Kristen Easterbrook, Director of Charter Development, reminded all schools of the upcoming LEA reporting training and provided an update on the replication and pre-opening school pipeline. Erin Wright, Associate General Counsel, shared the status of the FY22 petition cycle. Commissioners approved the replication petition for Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics Replication, the transfer petition for Museum School of Avondale Estates, a $150,000 grant for emergency school operations to Atlanta Smart Academy and the return of the unexpended portion of the SCSC’s FY22 administrative withhold to state charter schools. Lastly, four schools presented improvement plans based on their performance framework results: Atlanta Unbound Academy, Delta STEAM Academy, Cherokee Charter Academy and Yi Hwang Academy of Language Excellence.
The next SCSC monthly board meeting is scheduled for June 29, 2022, at 10 AM. A list of upcoming meetings for 2022 can be found on the meetings page of the SCSC website.
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SCSC Approves the Return of Remaining FY22 Administrative Withhold |
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The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) board unanimously approved to grant unspent agency funds back to state charter schools for fiscal year (FY) 2022. In FY 2021, the SCSC granted $3,551,826.83 back to state charter schools. The final return amount for this year will be determined following the close of FY 2022 and is expected to be over two million dollars.
SCSC operations are solely funded through an administrative fee deducted from state charter schools. Commissioners adopted the FY 2022 annual budget based on a 1.73% administrative withhold for existing schools and 0% for first-year schools. State charter schools will be able to utilize this money for the 2022-2023 school year.
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SCSC Welcomes Summer 2022 Interns
The SCSC welcomes a new cohort of interns for the summer. Katherine Salvatore is a second-year law student at Georgia State University College of Law. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ms. Salvatore received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Auburn University. Ms. Salvatore desires to practice education law in Atlanta after graduation. Savanna Jones is a South Georgia native and a third-year law student at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Ms. Salvatore received her bachelor’s degree in Education from Georgia Southern University and is a former student teacher at Southwest Georgia STEM Charter School. Ms. Salvatore wants to tailor her law degree towards education law with a focus on charter school and special education law. Xiaolu Xu is a second-year law student at Emory University School of Law. She has a law degree from her home country, China and a Master of Laws degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. Ms. Xu was a Chinese associate attorney as well as a certified high school teacher before moving to the United States. She is licensed to practice law in California and New York and wants to learn more about the SCSC's legal duties. Noah Hawkins was a Spring 2022 intern and has chosen to extend his time through the Summer 2022 Cohort’s duration to continue his work supporting the SCSC. He is a spring 2022 graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Mr. Hawkins wants to deepen his understanding of charter schools and the SCSC.
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Left to right: Savanna Jones, Xiaolu Xu, Noah Hawkins, Katherine Salvatore |
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LEA Reporting Training
The SCSC will hold LEA reporting training on Wednesday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m in its Atlanta offices. The target audience for this training is school leaders and data reporting staff.
The goal of this training is to familiarize state charter school leaders with MyGaDOE and its applications. This entails ensuring that appropriate staff members are credentialed and able to access MyGaDOE; attendees understand GUIDE and; attendees are prepared to report critical components in the Data Collections applications. This half-day training is required for Year Zero (pre-operational) state charter school superintendents, principals, administrators, and data reporting personnel. Operational state charter school leaders and data reporting personnel who are new to their role or who would like training on data reporting are encouraged to attend. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops and MyGaDOE log-in credentials to the training. Sign up here for this training.
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Teacher Appreciation Week |
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State charter school teachers were celebrated across the state during the first week of May. Here are a few highlights from the many ways parents and staff pitched in to show how much they appreciate their faculties:
- Atlanta SMART Academy provided meals throughout the week and free massages for Wellness Wednesday.
- At Atlanta Unbound, several students dressed up to honor the style of Principal Jackson.
- The local fire department showed up at Furlow Charter School to sear ribeye steaks for faculty and staff.
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National Charter Schools Week |
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The spotlight was on school choice May 8-14 as schools celebrated this year's theme: "Charter Schools Rising." This outreach effort of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has taken place for over 30 years, recognizing those who serve charter students and families as well as the voices that push the movement forward. Many SCSC schools held open houses during this time and joined a social media campaign promoting the 3.6 million students receiving a high-quality public education through charters across the country. |
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Mental Health Awareness Month |
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Since 1949, Mental Health America (MHA) has observed May as Mental Health Month in an attempt to destigmatize mental health so more people will seek help when they need it. This year's theme is "Together for Mental Health." Social media posts use the hashtags #Together4MH and #MHAM as users share their personal stories, awareness information, and resources.
Mental health is a pressing issue in our schools. The following statistics come from the CDC:
- More than 1 in 3 high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009.
- In 2019, approximately 1 in 6 youth reported making a suicide plan in the past year, a 44% increase since 2009.
These pre-date the pandemic, which is widely reported to have made the state of mental health among teachers and students even more of a concern. A guide for older students is provided by collegexpress, and the MHA's Mental Health Month Toolkit is available here.
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Pataula Academy is a Top 10 Charter |
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An annual list from U.S. News and World Report has ranked Pataula Charter Academy as one of the top 10 charter schools in Georgia (WSB-TV). Located in Calhoun County, Pataula Academy was authorized in 2009, opened in 2010 and serves grades K-12. The school implements a project-based, hands-on model which uses few textbooks.
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Winners Announced for the Art of Connection Exhibition of Student Art
The SCSF presents a juried virtual exhibition of visual art created by 220 students across the state. Students were invited to submit their 2-D art to the SCSF’s second annual Art of Connection – Exhibition of Student Art. State charter school students in grades K-12 were encouraged to express how they stay connected to their community and others. All entries are featured in the virtual art gallery located online at scsfga.org/art, and winners will receive an Amazon gift card and a permanent exhibition of their art at the State Charter Schools Foundation office. The list of winners is posted on the SCSF website.
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The SCSF Recognizes Shining Star Teachers |
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The SCSF announced 28 state charter school teachers selected as 2022 Shining Star Teachers. Awardees come from around the state and represent 13 different state charter schools. The SCSF created the program to honor teachers who have gone over and above to serve their students and school communities. Shining Star teachers will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon and recognition on the SCSF website (scsfga.org/stars) and social media channels (@SCSFofGA). Awards have been presented through surprise visits by Michele Neely, President of the SCSF, and SCSF board members, Dr. Adria Welcher and Ms. Fadzai Konteh, or during special recognition events organized by school leaders, students, and coworkers. The teachers were selected from nearly 150 nominations submitted by parents, students, school leaders, fellow teachers, and family members. Nominations included stories of creativity, tenacity, and an overwhelming commitment to improving the well-being of students during an extremely challenging school year. The initiative is proudly sponsored by FEV Tutor, the Association of American Educators (AAE), and Infinite Giving. All of the Shining Star Teachers are featured on the SCSF's website.
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Book Vending Machines Granted to Two Schools |
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The SCSF granted book vending machines to two state charter elementary schools - Ethos Classical and Spring Creek Charter Academy. Both schools celebrated the new machines with ribbon cuttings and "first book ceremonies. The grant included the customized machine, high-quality books selected by the schools, and custom tokens. Students at Ethos Classical will earn tokens by participating in the school's innovative Mission to a Million reading program, which encourages literacy and a love for reading. Spring Creek Charter Academy students will earn book tokens by displaying one of the school's values, reinforcing positive behavior. Since Spring Creek Charter Academy does not yet have a library, the rural school is very excited to offer books to students. These book vending machines were made possible by the generosity of the Next Generation Foundation and Georgia Power. The SCSF's goal is to grant a book vending machine to every state charter elementary school in Georgia. The estimated cost per school is $6,300. Email Michele Neely, president, to become an investor in this program.
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Affordable Connectivity Program |
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The Federal Communications Commission announced that 20 of the nation's internet providers have committed to lowering costs for low-income households, a step that will essentially provide free high-speed internet for those participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program. The Affordable Connectivity Program lowers internet costs for eligible families by up to $30 a month through grant funding. For Georgia residents to get their share of the funding, families need to sign up for themselves.
Communicating about this program to eligible families is the largest barrier to implementing this program. The ExcelinEd team has developed resources to share to help students whose families may qualify for this free- and reduced-priced internet service.
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FY22 Reporting Calendar & Upcoming Deadlines |
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The State Charter Schools Commission’s (SCSC) FY22 Reporting Deadlines calendar is available on the SCSC website here. Please note that most deadlines are established by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and are subject to change. The SCSC makes every attempt to maintain all dates as accurately as possible. However, all schools are encouraged to stay up to date on any changes to the timeline made by GaDOE. Any failure by a state charter school to meet deadlines established and enforced by the SCSC and GaDOE will be reflected in the school’s assessment through the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework. Please see below for important data collections deadlines coming up.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
- Special Education - Parent Surveys Completed
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
- Student Class (SLDS Profile) Collection, End Date, Cycle 1 (A)
- Student Class - End of Year Collection, End Date, Cycle June
- Student Record Collection, End Date
- Student Collection, End Date
- Enrollment Collection, End Date
- Special Education Collection, End Date
- Student Safety Collection, End Date
- Program Collection, End Date
- Address Collection, End Date
- System Collection, End Date
- School Collection, End Date
- Special Education - Final Student Records Submission (SE Record and GNETS Program Record)
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
- GUIDE Collection, End Date
- Private School - Cleanse, End Date, Cycle 1
- EOPA Collection, End Date
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2022 Live Data Verification - All Data Available |
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GaDOE's Live Data Verification tool in the MyGaDOE portal provides summary data from Student Record and Student Class used for CCRPI calculations prior to the close of the collections. The information in this feature is dynamic and will update nightly as your district updates the data. It is critical that schools and districts verify the accuracy of the data and make any necessary corrections directly in Student Record and Student Class before the collections close on June 15 to ensure accurate CCRPI reporting.
GaDOE has uploaded the following remaining data - Beyond the Core, Accelerated Enrollment, Pathways, EOC course enrollment data for middle and high schools - into the Live Data Verification tool. Demographic, attendance and 4-year graduation cohort data are already provided.
To access the Live Data Verification tool, log on to the MyGaDOE portal, click on the CCRPI link, and then choose Live Data Verification. For help accessing the portal and with any functionality issues, please contact the Technology Services Service Desk team by logging into the MyGaDOE portal, clicking on the Help Desk Portal link, and entering your request there, or call 1-800-869-1011. Contact the GaDOE accountability specialist assigned to assist your district with questions regarding the data.
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Funding & Professional Development Opportunities |
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GaDOE Accountability Lunch and Learn
GaDOE Accountability Lunch and Learn webinars are held the third Wednesday of each month through November from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Register for the upcoming session by clicking the links below. SCSC accountability points of contact should be sure to tune in for important information related to accountability data reporting and CCRPI.
Please note, the GaDOE Accountability Specialist assigned to your school may have changed. Please review the Accountability Specialist List for the most current information.
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GCSA 2022 Incubator
The GCSA Incubator is now accepting applications for their 2022 program beginning July 2022. This program is designed to support independent, self-motivated educators and business leaders with the knowledge and expertise to lead a charter school as an administrator. Successful charter school administrators are those who:
• Demonstrate the ability to inspire team members and motivate supporters;
• Evidence a visionary approach to finding new solutions;
• Build teamwork and culture that reinforces accountability;
• Commit to serving all students with a specific dedication to those most in need;
• Efficiently coordinate and manages multiple complex projects simultaneously; and
• Foster community and stakeholder support for responsive collaboration.
Applicants can either apply as individual candidates or a team with an identified lead (teams will be given strong preference) to create a charter school. Incubator candidates who begin the program with a team serving as a founding governing board have the strongest track record of success.
Learn more about GCSA Incubator programs here and apply for the 2022 program support here.
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GaDOE Professional Learning Events
ESSA and IDEA Tuesdays in June Professional Learning virtual workshops are being scheduled for the afternoons of June 14, 21, and 28. Information about the workshops and registration information is available here.
See below for more learning events coming in June.
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June 9, 12-1 pm: End-of-Year ESOL Program Evaluation
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June 10, 10:00-10:30 am: Equitable Services Drop-In Session
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State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia
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For real-time updates and announcements: |
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The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) is a state-level, independent charter school authorizing entity. The SCSC has the power to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, nonrenew, or terminate state charter school contracts in accordance with Georgia law. |
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Copyright © 2022 State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, All rights reserved. |
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