The latest chapter in the unfolding saga of the charter school epic unfolded this week when the state Board of Education tabled $160,000 in funding for Central Education Center.

Central is Coweta County's charter school proposal that will place a technical school at the site of the old Central Middle School. The county wanted the school to be a charter school so it could make the curriculum something that many of the employers in the area wanted for future workers.

But the holdup on the funding lies in the Coweta County school board's response to a charter school petition from a group of parents who wanted to start the Odyssey School.

Starting in April, the parents have sought the support of the school board in approving the petition, but have yet to be successful. School officials maintain that several questions, such as facilities, need to be addressed before the board could approve the petition.

But this week, the state school board stepped in and said Central would not receive the $160,000 federal grant until state school board Chairman Otis Brumby heard from both sides of the dispute.

The General Assembly passed a law in 1997 allowing charter schools. Charter schools generally allow more parental involvement in curriculum and also allow the schools to hire professionals in various fields to help teach the curriculum.

The dispute went to mediation when the Odyssey Group felt it was not given a fair hearing by the Coweta County school board April 23.

The group took their concerns to the state Board of Education who ordered the mediation.

Odyssey School officials wanted the school to start in August and said if the facility couldn't be completed, portable facilities would be used.

The school has a goal of opening with 100 students, but did not provide the school system with the names of any students who wanted to enroll.

The system also claims that the proposed charter school would not be locally ruled. Three of the four initial directors live outside the county.

But Odyssey School organizer Jan Buchwald said last week that she had addressed many of the board's concerns and really was not sure what they wanted.

The Coweta board is scheduled to vote on Odyssey Schools' latest petition at its Sept. 7 meeting.

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