While Heron Bay Academy was denied their charter from both the Henry County and Spalding County school systems, there is still hope for the school. On August 1st, the academy submitted a petition to the newly-founded Georgia Charter School Commission, which was created by House Bill 881 in May 2008 due to the high number of charter school petitions that have veen denied by local boards.
Why does the General Assembly care whether or not charter schools are denied by the local boards? Well because charter schools are a critical component to Georgia’s efforts to provide efficient and high-quality public schools. The Assembly also found that charter schools in the state have contributed to enhanced student performance while empowering parents to best fit the individual needs of their children.
And, a recent analysis of the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data indicated that charter schools in Georgia, particularly those that are started independently from school districts, are performing better than traditional public schools.
Basically it seems that charter schools provide a quality education for their students and enhance the learning experience. Heron Bay Academy will be greatly welcomed by residents of the Atlanta master planned community as it will serve both Henry County and Spalding County and will feature an in-dept education including rigorous core training in language arts, math, science, humanities, social studies and Spanish.
We should know by December 2009 if the Georgia Charter School Commission approves the petition.
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