Still no charter school enrollment list
by Kyle Dominy
kdominy@cherokeetribune.com
June 08, 2011 12:00 AM | 2278 views | 1 1 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend | print
CANTON - The Cherokee County School District is still waiting for the list of students selected to attend Cherokee Charter Academy.

The school system has been calling for the 995-name list since last month for the purposes of planning next year's budget.

Facing a revenue shortfall of more than $30 million this year, the charter school stands to further impact the school system's budget.

"We are going to continue our analysis of the revised petition, but we need the enrollment list so we can calculate the operational and fiscal impact to the school system," said Barbara Jacoby, the spokeswoman for the Cherokee County School System. "The fiscal analysis is pressing because we are working on our budget now."

Losing students to a new school means losing vital state and federal funding.

Schools receive a certain amount of funding per student. The funding per student varies on the student's needs.

In Cherokee Charter Academy's revised-petition, submitted to the school system May 27, the school estimates it will receive about $3.7 million from the state and about $2.9 million in local funding for its student body.

Cherokee Charter Academy submitted a total budget of about $7.2 million for its first year in operation.

Not turning in the enrollment list could hamper the school system's review of the petition.

"We can't verify their budget without the enrollment list," Jacoby said.

The enrollment list has been an issue of debate between the school system and the proposed school for the past few weeks.

The school system first requested the list on May 23.

Cherokee Charter Academy's oversight board, the Georgia Charter Education Foundation, has yet to release the list on grounds that it violates the students' privacy and argued that being selected in the student lottery did not quarantine enrollment.

The school system insists the information is public record and have threatened to contact the State Attorney General's office over violation of open record laws.

No complaint has been filed.

In a Tuesday telephone conversation, Lyn Carden, a board member with the Georgia Charter Education Foundation, said the charter school is working with the school system.

"We are still working with the school system to figure out what they need and how to get it to them," she said.

If the Cherokee Charter Academy is to open as scheduled in August, the school needs the support of the Cherokee Board of Education.

The school's future is uncertain due to a decision of the Georgia Supreme Court striking down the 2008 law that allowed for the school's charter.

Cherokee Charter Academy's charter petition was denied twice by the school board in 2010.

Despite the disagreement over the enrollment list, Carden said she was optimistic.

"Everything is fine. We've enjoying working with the school board," she said. "We've had a few stumbles but that's understandable considering the quickness of this project."

The Board of Education has scheduled a June 30 special meeting to discuss and vote on the revised petition.

On top of the potential impact of the charter school, the school system is facing severe reductions in its state and local revenue.

Cherokee schools stand to loose $26.2 million in state austerity cuts and about $150,000 in state transportation and nursing cuts.

Additionally, the schools will lose about $9 million from slumping property tax collections.

Jacoby said the school system was seeking ways to fill the budget gap.

Options could include furlough days for school staff, layoff or a millage rate increase.

The tentative budget will be release later this summer.
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A Cherokee Parent
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June 09, 2011
What a shame it all comes down to money again. What was not mentioned in the article was that the charter school has offered the grades and schools of the children who received seats. The school board rejected that proposal although that information meets the board's request without violating the privacy of the families. The article seems to imply the charter school is being uncooperative, but is it?
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