Elisabeth Hughes In 2008, the Georgia General Assembly passed HB 881, the Georgia Charter Schools Commission Act, which created a state-level commission with the power to authorize charter schools, public schools that are independently run, even if local districts deny the petitions to establish such schools. The aim of charter schools is to improve student achievement by expanding public school options. Commission members are appointed by the State Board of Education from a list recommended by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house, and the Department of Education appoints one ex officio member. Governor Perdue nominated IHE members Dr. Charles Knapp, professor of economics and distinguished public service fellow, and doctoral student, Jennifer Rippner Buck, to serve on the seven-member board. The Georgia Charter Schools Commission has the power to approve or deny petitions for commission charter schools and renew or terminate commission charter schools in accordance with Georgia law. The commission’s duties extend beyond simply authorizing schools, to developing and promoting best practices, reviewing standards, and holding charter schools accountable for their performances. During the first cycle, the commission received approximately 30 applications; of these, it has granted five new charters and approved two conversions (from state-only charters to commission charters, which mean higher allocations per student). Dr. Knapp says that “when they are held to high academic standards, charter schools can be a real laboratory for experimentation and finding out what works.” The commission has run into some opposition from school districts concerned about financial loss on the amount of state support received for students at charter schools, which is approximately half that received for other public school students. Seven Georgia school districts (including the city of Atlanta) have brought a lawsuit against the Georgia Charter Schools Commission questioning its constitutionality and charging that it operates as an independent school system. The lawsuit is on the docket of the State Supreme Court and should be heard this fall. Dr. Knapp’s service on the Georgia Charter Schools Commission is a continuation of his involvement in educational issues. President of UGA from 1987-97, he is the current director of educational development for the CF Foundation and on the board of the National Center on Teaching and America’s Future. In 2006, he chaired the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce that produced the highly recognized report “Tough Choices or Tough Times,” which described how the shift in the U.S. and global economies changed the educational landscape, and recommended dramatic changes in our system of education. Type of News/Audience: 2010 IHE Report
