In Georgia, Court Ruling Could Close Some Charter Schools

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

A ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday cast doubt on the future of 17 charter schools there, leaving thousands of families uncertain about whether classes will continue through the end of the academic year and how students will continue in the fall.

In a 4-to-3 decision, the Georgia court struck down a law empowering a special statewide commission to approve and finance charter schools even over the objections of local school boards.

National charter school advocates, who had closely watched the case, said they feared the ruling could encourage a new wave of litigation against charter schools, which are publicly financed but independently run.

Since the law established it in 2008, the Georgia Charter School Commission had authorized operations and public financing for 17 schools, officials said. Nine of them, with a collective enrollment of about 8,000 students, are in operation this year; eight new ones were to open this fall with an additional enrollment of about 7,000 students, said Tony Roberts, president of the Georgia Charter Schools Association.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/education/17georgia.html

[FourScore]

1. I'm okay with this! n/t

[madrchsod]

2. off to the supreme court!

[DavidDvorkin]

3. How the right loves local control! Except when they don't.