Friday, September 17, 1999
School board nears solution on charter school

By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

It appears the long-simmering discussions between the Coweta County Board of Education and a group seeking to open a charter school are nearing an end.

The school board and the Odyssey Group have been talking about a parent-operated charter school since April. But at Tuesday night's school board meeting, curriculum coordinator Dr. Judy Robinson told the board that the group had addressed many of the concerns the school system had about the charter school and was waiting for comment from the board.

The Odyssey Group has filed four different petitions trying to get the board to approve its charter to start a school with 100 students this year.

The board has sent detailed questions back to the Odyssey Group after each petition and quizzed the group on such issues as site for the school and funding.

Robinson said many of the board's questions had been addressed in the latest response from Odyssey and its director Jan Buchwald.

Board member Harry Mullins emphasized that when he provided feedback, it was only his opinion.

“It's only me. It doesn't commit the whole board,” he said.

Board members pledged to deliver their comments to superintendent of education Richard Brooks and Brooks said he would compile the comments to deliver back to the Odyssey Group. The board has 60 days to act on the latest petition.

In a related move, the board approved a policy for all future charter school applications. The policy calls for all future applications to be submitted by Nov. 15, if the school intends to open the following fall.

“Nov. 15 gives us a lot of planning time and it also gives the charter group plenty of time,” said board Chairman Mike Sumner.


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