The district didn’t say what steps dad and mom would want to take or clarify what the compliance points have been on the constitution faculty.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Editor’s be aware: This text beforehand mentioned the colleges would shut however has been up to date to say the colleges have misplaced funding to replicate new data.
Two Fulton County constitution colleges have misplaced funding from the college district after the board determined the college was not in “compliance with a number of areas.”
In line with the board of training within the county, Rise Grammar and RISE Prep constitution colleges have been really helpful for non-renewal by the Fulton County superintendent of Faculties, Dr. Mike Looney. That suggestion was accepted by the board earlier this week.
Their board president, Kimberly Dove, mentioned that they imagine that is within the “finest curiosity” of their college students and said that “faculty directors that weren’t in compliance with a number of areas and never offering substantial academic advantages past these of conventional colleges.”
“We now have nice compassion for the transition this can trigger for some households and have requested Dr. Looney, district workers and faculty leaders to create a welcoming setting for these college students,” Dove mentioned. “Our system is positioned to fulfill the wants of those kids and can proceed to give attention to scholar achievement for all.”
Mother and father like Shatona Walter have been annoyed that a few of these points have been simply coming to gentle for them. Walter has two children enrolled at RISE colleges, and he or she mentioned she’s now questioning the place they are going to go to highschool subsequent 12 months.
“We’ve by no means identified something as dad and mom that the college was on any sort of probation, that the scores have been as unhealthy as they have been,” Walter mentioned. “Proper now it’s actually a tossup of the place we’re going to ship them. All the things got here so late that it’s just about laborious to use for different constitution colleges as a result of their lotteries are just about over. I really feel like they need to have given us a bit extra grace and a bit extra time to indicate that we’re a very good constitution faculty. We’re a gem in a small little metropolis of East Level that might do higher for our youngsters.”
Round 800 college students attend the Rise colleges. Leticia Rosas, one other dad or mum, mentioned her children felt supported and considered the colleges as a helpful useful resource in her neighborhood.
“I really feel so upset and unhappy as a result of it’s not a nasty faculty,” Rosas mentioned. “It’s an excellent faculty the place they assist the scholars, they don’t depart any scholar behind. Our youngsters, being from a Hispanic neighborhood, a Latino neighborhood, are included on the faculty. They’re taken under consideration.”
The RISE constitution colleges mentioned in a press release they’re “upset” and are in search of funding from Georgia to turn into a state-commissioned constitution faculty fairly than by the county.
They disagree with the county’s judgment in regards to the faculty’s efficiency and mentioned, “our college students are exhibiting constructive development and enchancment on nationally-norm referenced assessments and inside benchmarks,” including they imagine the county ought to give colleges one other 12 months of consideration to account for the “hardships skilled by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
If unsuccessful and compelled to shut, RISE college students can be welcomed in Fulton County Faculties, per a district spokesperson. Fulton County Faculties would even be open to hiring former RISE workers who can be out of a job, in keeping with the district.
The district didn’t say what steps dad and mom would want to take, that the colleges would shut earlier than the subsequent time period or clarify the compliance points on the constitution faculty.
Assertion from RISE constitution colleges
Faculties are upset by the choice made by the Fulton County Board of Schooling to not renew our constitution and shut RISE Preparatory Academy and RISE Grammar for the 2023-2024 faculty 12 months. Our college students are exhibiting constructive development and enchancment on nationally-norm referenced assessments and inside benchmarks.
We don’t imagine that Fulton County College Board ought to have primarily based its determination on scholar efficiency during the last two years provided that the Georgia Division of Schooling requested and obtained federal accountability waivers from the U.S. Division of Schooling due hardships skilled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a substitute, we imagine the colleges ought to have been given another 12 months of consideration for post-pandemic accountability. That’s the reason the RISE Board and Management Group are planning to use to turn into a state commissioned constitution faculty. If we’re unsuccessful in these efforts, we’ll work with our households to search out the very best various faculty choices for our college students.
Assertion from the Fulton County Board of Schooling President Kimberly Dove
In Fulton County Faculties “The place College students Come First”, the Fulton County Board of Schooling accepted Superintendent Looney’s suggestion for non-renewal of the constitution for RISE Grammar and RISE Prep.
The Fulton County Faculties Board of Schooling felt it was in the very best curiosity of all college students to finish our constitution with faculty directors that weren’t in compliance with a number of areas and never offering substantial academic advantages past these of conventional colleges.
We now have nice compassion for the transition this can trigger for some households and have requested Dr. Looney, district workers and faculty leaders to create a welcoming setting for these college students. Our system is positioned to fulfill the wants of those kids and can proceed to give attention to scholar achievement for all.
