Lack of enrollment? We have kids on waiting lists...

Yeah...I doubt we would put or approve this negative publicity at this crucial time for our school. Very telling of opposition if you ask me.

Yes their own board members say they are short. The projected enrollment was 995. They may have waiting lists on a couple of grade levels but one higher grade level only has 7 or 8 students.

This article fails to mention many of the wonderful attributes of our school. If it weren't a money issue, and more was being written about our outstanding parents, teachers, programs, etc.... one would be STUPID to argue the need for a school like CCA in Georgia!

There's another article with quotes from your own people. Try reading it before you assume no one made a statement.
http://cherokeetribune.com/view/full_story/17700856/article-Cherokee-Charter-is-facing--1-3M-budget-shortfall-?instance=home_news_1st_right

I'm not stupid and I know there's no need for the school. I have children in Cherokee County and I'd never put them in CCA. CCA doesn't offer a single thing that isn't already provided by CCSD.

Isn't it great to have a CHOICE of how our kids are educated? I love CCA and am so grateful to be able to make the decision for my own family instead of being told which school my kids must attend based solely on my residence and not any individual factors. Enrollment is lower than anticipated because of the delayed opening. Many parents were reluctant to switch schools for their kids 2 weeks into the new school year. Looking forward to a full year next year!

Although I do not have children on elementary level I think that it is about time that parents had a choice of where to send thier children. I wish it would have been an option for me when I had to not buy my dream home because it would mean putting my children in a school that academically did not meet my expection. Amy understand that this is about ALL children in 2012 and ALL children in 2062. Is a charter school the solution for all children, no, but how wonderful to live in a land that allows us not only the freedom to vent in a newspaper but for each parent to be allowed to do what they think is in the best interest of thier child. The problem here is that everyone wants to live in the present which is why even the economy is what it is. We forget that the future is what we need to fight for.

If you look at the date - this number was only in the first week of school. Do you have the figures of the CURRENT enrollment? This is a very misleading title. And Amy, I am so happy that your children are successful at CCSD! Personally, we love CCA and my child is thriving there. This is about the success of the students and their future. A student succeeding, no matter at which school, is the point. Giving a choice in education to parents, because not every student can succeed in a public school environment. Without really knowing what CCA is all about, having a child enrolled there, knowing what programs they offer, and really being involved with the admin and staff, it's a bit unfair to be so negative to the school. Keep an open mind, forget the dollar signs. We should all be on the same side of fighting for a better education for our children - not "My school is better than your school".

Love how you assume I don't know more about your school, havent been there, or know about your so called great programs. We all know more about your school than you'd like. Why don't you just call it like it was for so many of you.....You didn't like your kids going to school that were more diverse. You didn't like the poor kids and the Hispanics. You see I am well aware of what many of you all said when you were fighting for it to open and you thought others wouldn't hear you. Find a school that actually offers something different that will actually benefit kids and you'll have tons of support.

Thank you, Rodney for posting the more recent enrollment. I appreciate all the Patch has done in support of CCA. I have no problem with the articles you post, positive or negative. News needs to be reported, I just wondered what the current enrollment was. And Amy, I think you are taking a very low road by saying all the parents in support of school choice and CCA are racists. You have NO idea what are ethnic backgrounds are, where we come from, or even who we are! (We being the people commenting in this thread) I can tell you that CCA is diverse. My son's class is not all "upper class white kids". If you had a child enrolled at CCA and you left unhappy, then that is your issue with CCA. Not every educational outlet is the best for every child. Education is not a "one size fits all". Many parents have issues with CCSD. Some have vocalized them, others have not. I for one have not bashed CCSD. I can only speak to the experience we have had at CCA and the school district in another state we moved from. If you haven't had a child at CCA, how can you really speak so low of the school? That is the point I was making. CCA benefits MY child. CCA may not benefit every child, hence our support in school choice.

What I find interesting is the number of children who went to CCA this year and are ALREADY BACK at CCSD, many within the first few months. Is it really such a great school? Why have so many already left CCA?

Gwen, if CCSD is so great why has so many left CCSD? I think more have left CCSD than have left CCA. Charter is not for everyone, we have rules and guidlines we have to follow and some of this was just to much for the parents or child. We do not fault them if they return. They are doing what is best for their child and family, but what is wrong with choice? Why can't I choose for my child like they were able to? Why are they better than me? They chose! They tried CCA and didn't like it, choice! I tried CCSD and didn't like it! Choice. What is so wrong with that? I pay taxes and my child can't even benefit from them. My school according to this post is in debt due to them not receiving the tax money that I and other parents pay, CCSD gets this money and they get the SPLOST. How much are they in debt for? I believe it is for more than we are. One other point... This morning I was leaving Kroger at HF it was 11:40 am. There just happened to be a school bus which is number 542 in front of me. She, the driver, pulled up in front of Dos Margaritas and dropped of 5-6 adults for them to go in and eat. She then left and proceeded down the street and parked her bus and went into the eatery there. I do believe that gas for those buses is over $4.00 a gallon and it is pretty expensive to drive them around. Yet the driver is driving our school buses transporting adults, other bus drivers??? to go eat. Why can't they park the bus and drive their cars? Misuse of money!

All those of you who are condeming the Patch for the negative publicity of your charter school are the very same parents that had NO PROBLEM telling everyone and anyone how bad the CCSD was. What goes around comes around.....

This is not new information. As a matter of fact, this information was made public at the Board of Directors' meeting of the Cherokee Charter Academy System Local Governing Council Board in November, 2011. I'm fairly certain the reason you are just now hearing about this is because there wasn't a reporter from the Cherokee Tribune present at that particular meeting. I happen to know this, because I was in attendance of that meeting. The fiscal issues of CCA were discussed in great detail at the November meeting. I attended 2 Local Governing Council meetings, September and November. I found it interesting and sad that of the 800 plus students enrolled, there were only 2 parents that attended the September meeting and 3 parents total that attended the November meeting. I urge all CCA parents to attend these meetings and be sure to ask questions...I did!

Parents thinking about enrolling their children in CCA should also know how many students are in each class and each grade level. KNOW...don't just ask. It's a fact that some of the classes are severely overloaded and that's for the younger students too, who would at least have an assistant teacher in a public school. Don't think the teachers are CCA are more qualified than those in the CCSD either. There's no transparency with CCA or you would be able to see the qualifications of their teaching staff and compare the qualifications of the CCDS teachers. The Cherokee County BOE has no problem telling you the number of children in each class in each grade. What are those numbers for CCA? Oh yeah, they don't give out those numbers either.

You know what is so funny.....no one would've said anything about your precious school but as usual you all get on here throwing a fit. It wasn't a bad story. Simply that your numbers are lower than expected. So you start bashing Rodney for reporting the facts. Say what you want about your so called diversity. The fact is I know some of you pretty well so you can dress it up pretty but it doesn't change the truth. Yes you have a few people of different ethnicities but percentage wise you know it's not the same. I'm also well aware of the "additional programs" you have for a fee. Anything CCA can do to make a buck right? They are about profit, not the students. You all think you can bash and bully anyone but that doesn't work. Wow, great example for your own kids and the students of CCA. If you are happy, great....stay at CCA and stop being negative to Rodney for reporting the facts of a story.

Why the need to attack the reporter who is doing his job? Why the need to act as if his article was some attack on the CCA. I am sure those parents who support the CCA and are so thrilled with the many and numerous things offered (for a fee) by CCA can pony up and just get their precious kids in more ballet basics, Chorus, Mandarin, Spanish, book club, video game making, guitar lessions, drama, band, Salsa dancing, Art.... need I go on. Your school is a "for profit" school, the parents should get busy making a profit for it I guess. As a parent at CCA you are REQUIRED to volunteer, maybe if you had spent as much time volunteering in the public schools your child and many other children would have a better experience.

I think Amy is confused who brought up "diversity". It was in fact the school board who stated in a board meeting that they had schools of excellence and schools of diversity. That statement alone implies that the CCBOE believes there is a difference. We came from a school that had little diversity and are so happy that CCA has it throughout the school.

What CCA offers us that we did not get before is a personal learning plan. Each child learns at their own pace. We feel all children are gifted and our teachers find out the "gift" in each child. This allows the children to excel at their pace, and with gained confidence the children excel in other classes as well. Our teachers are allowed to think outside the box. The Cambridge education program will be offered to our middle school and it is free.

As far as the budget goes, CCA is doing fine and will be open next year. Some of you anti CCA folks appear bitter. Our kids are important to, and we are trying to provide them with an education that fits their needs.

Rodney, I do believe that you give CCA a fair shake when it comes to reporting, but I think that had a couple of sentences been added (which are factual) it would have changed the tone of this article.

I also want to say that CCA is all about the student. As I previously stated all our children are gifted, and we make sure they know it.

@ Michael, I do know some of the parents of CCA personally. I've heard the way they talk about not wanting to go to school with the Hispanics. I think it's just reached a point of so many of us being tired of how these parents handle themselves. It's sad that they preach "we are for the kids," while spewing such hate. It's too hard for them to handle the fact that we aren't all going to agree. Like I said, I'm pleased you like it there. Stay there. Next time an article comes out that isn't glowing get over it. Boo hoo...a couple of sentences were not worded how you liked it. Rodney did his job and many of us think it's ridiculous that people started in on him about the article.

What most you school-choice/charter zeolots ignore is that charter schools by default aren't better than traditional schools. Many studies have shown that most charter schools perform at either the same level or WORSE than traditional schools! As to the attendance level at CCA, if the demand for the school was/is so great, why isn't the school full? Answer, the school isn't that great nor is the demand. As to the budget, true CCA doesn't receive the county share per student but has received disproportionate state funding. In addition, CCA hasn't been providing bus services, something that Cherokee County does offer at great expense! And if charter schools are so efficient as the backers claim, they should have no trouble operating on lower per-student funding!

Now with that said, do I believe that CCSD is perfect? No! Do I believe that there should be no charter schools anywhere? No! However, if you look at the facts of Cherokee County, (forget the rest of the state) our schools are among the top in the state and across the country. Unlike what Chip Rogers and other zeolots are telling you, our schools aren't broken! And if you were somewhat educated and could do critical thinking, you realize that.

As a parent of an identified gifted child and grade skipper, I declined our invitation to CCA. The administrator I spoke with was only concerned about our adding to her numbers and was completely uninterested in providing me with details about what her school could do for my child. I am sure you all think your children are special, and in some ways I am certain they are. But for truly gifted children, CCSD provides a much more rigorous and multi-faceted curriculum in both AIM and accelerated coursework.

Rodney: I am very sorry if my comment made you feel attacked. I do not know you, and I do not know all of the financial facts. However, I feel certain that at this crucial time for our school we would not have invited media to a town hall to only report on the budget.

To the RIDICULOUS AND IGNORANT person who posted about the diversity at CCA. You know what? It's not even worth my time to give you the benefit of responding (our principal and assistant principal alone are of diverse backgrounds, so you speak not of what you know).

To the people concerned with who has more certified teachers...OBVIOUSLY if you don't LOVE your job or if your focus on teaching is replaced by a focus on passing a test and meeting mandates forced down to accomodate those who complain and every time they complain, then it doesn't matter who has more certification. This seems like a stretch to "sell" why CCSD is better than CCA. When I was in CCSD, every single year when the teacher cards were sent home during summer, oh boy how fast the word spread about who got which teacher and why they didn't want them. Just sayin', maybe you should poll the parents to see if they really care about certifications or if they care more about how much time the teacher spends with their child before you try to "sell" it like that. That's really funny.

And to the person who thinks that CCA doesn't offer anything that CCSD doesn't offer...while your child is celebrating Sock Day, Crazy Hat Day, GAme Day, Movie Day, and whatever other day is created at the end of the year for an entire two weeks without any books because the kids already turned them in and the teachers are done teaching because CRCT's are done, my child is still nose in book with homework and curriculum. And while your child is being graded on a curriculum item on a report card but without the curriculum (such as handwriting, music and art) my child is learning it. Oh...but CCSD has more certification...ashame that they don't use it and it's taken right out of their hands by the governments ridiculous measures of success!!! And while CCSD is giving out multiple choice tests, CCA is giving out fill in the blank and essays (even in the lower grades) and without the EXACT test as the study guide the night before. And while CCSD closes the books for two weeks to prepare for CRCT (because God forbid you rely on those teachers with the more certificates to feel confident that their teaching all year long is going to pay off), my child is still nose in book with homework and curriculum! And while your child is eating snack and gossiping and playing, my child is eating snack and listening to a novel read out loud in class. While the children in CCSD are distracted by material things, my child has one less distraction by wearing a uniform. Should I go on?

48th in the nation....I think everyone deserves a CHOICE based on that alone!!

Now...I realize that ALL OF OUR CHILDREN deserve the best. So let's all man up and admit that CCSD (and honestly the rest of Georgia's education system) is not doing all it can be doing! Sorry that I had to retaliate, but don't knock CCA or it's advocates for caring about their children's education!!!!

@Michael...Yes, my opening statement shows my prejudice. I admit it! However, everyone here has a bias and prejudice, even you. Why call me out on it and not the school choice/charter supporters? Answer...You are biased. If you want to argue my points, go ahead...counter my claims! I offer no revision!

Dr. B, my daughter, is gifted and was in AIM too - which at CCSD was a joke. Her "gifted" social studies teacher was degreed in English. She was never challenged. At CCA she will be in the Cambridge University advanced program where she can get high school credit while she is in middle school - show me a CCSD school that participates in that kind of program - you can't - because there are none.

@Holly...you make some good points. I agree that CCSD shouldn't spend as much time reviewing for CRCT and should make the most of the entire school year. However, the real question everyone should be asking and looking at in a few months is whether individual CCA student scores improved over their prior year CCSD scores! Until that analysis is performed, everything is pure rhetoric! And for what it's worth, I have exceptionally gifted students in CCSD.

@nich...Cambridge, Smaimbridge...Big deal! CCA applied for the program and went through a limited review. It's not like the CCA teachers went to Cambridge!

I have exceptionally intelligent children who were not challenged in elementary school and I agree, AIM is a joke! AIM should be eliminated in favor of accelerated full-time classes for the accelarated children. However, if your child is truly gifted, there are steps you can take in CCSD to rectify the problem. You just have to check into it and ask. As to getting high school credit while in middle school you're mistaken. CCSD does offers that.

The idea that there is one path, one solution is the only way to educate a child is rediculous. Why is there not the same loathing and hate being spewed at the people who choose homeschooling or private school. There are problems in CCSD school system. Heck there are inefficiencies and problems all across the school systems in this State and our country. People should actively talk about what works/what doesn't so that change and improvements happen. We don't make that happen by cutting each other down and acting like a damn episode of the Real Housewives. Now, there will be problems with CCA as well. Nothing is perfect! But I am not going to put down those people who are trying something different for their kids. I hope it works. I hope every child succeeds in this county. I hope that the magnet and stem schools pop up and are a success. I hope that ALL of our scores climb as a result of innovative ideas and forward thinking.

Let me also say this. I chose to send my kid to CCA this year, because he was the ONLY brown kid in his class for the last 3 years. He noticed it, and it made him feel uncomfortable. We went to the open house and saw a lot of diversity. We are glad to say that he is only one of six in his class. We didn't leave CCSD because we had a problem with the teachers.

@Michael, you show how little you really know. Many of the parents know that the way they have behaved has led to broken friendships. The statements they have made since last summer on here show their own prejudice. I have listened to it over and over during the main charter fight. I would never want to live they way these people have chosen to live. I will freely admit not all of the CCA parents are prejudice but on the Patch the CCA parents go on constant bullying and bashing rants. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.
@holly, congratulations on demonstrating exactly the type of rude and ill mannered parent I referred to earlier. You started all this because you didn't know the facts given out at a parent meeting. A parent meeting that no one attended. The remark that you have a diverse population because your administration is diverse was priceless....lol. Once again, don't dish out insults if you can't take getting some back. Personally the comments on here have been great entertainment for me today. Say what you want about me but you are upset because you know you were wrong. The only thing I would have liked to compliment you on was the apology to Rodney. However, next time try being sincere.

Dr. B - I fail to understand your stance. At first it was the gifted program. Now it's that your studies show the most exceptional people come from public schools. But really what I think you are saying is that a student with a very involved parent produces the well-rounded children that you speak of and THAT is what CCA is all about! And I really don't know what your point is with saying that your child is happy and well-adjusted when he is able to balance his scholarly pursuits with social and ethnic diversity. Are you saying you get that in CCSD and you would not get that at CCA? That doesn't seem very scholarly of you.

So nice of you. It seems really well-rounded of you, professor.

Dr B, wow. I am a bit ashamed at how this discussion has gone to the lowest common denominator. To allude that holly Samuel lacks intelligence and is perhaps lazy.. Wow. I had hoped for some avid debate where both sides can walk away with a bit more understanding. I !fear however, all I hear is mud slinging and playground bullying. This is just another example of the societal breakdown in our country. Everyone should take a message from Dr. Seuss (in light of the man's birthday) and read the Sneatchs. Maybe we can leard some lessons in decorum, and how to treat another person with respect.

Ga Ranks in the bottom 5% nationally in education. Other than the city of Atlanta, everyone else is saying how great their schools are and we don't need a Charter. Whoever is saying this has their head in the sand. Our education sucks statewide. Status quo is not working, what is everyone so scared of?

Unfortunately, there is no credible evidence that charters are working either. Stop with the "Georgia is last in education" chant. Georgia ranks low on SAT scores (and anyone with an ounce of sense knows the reason behind that). Other than that one measure, where does this statistic come from? Charter supporters love the ALEC organization (it's all about privatizing education). Here, their own 2011 assessment shows Georgia ranks 27th and gets a B for reform. There you go. Right in the middle. http://www.alec.org/publications/report-card-on-american-education/ And Florida, that is so great, is 12th on this list, but guess where they are with SAT rank? Right beside Georgia.

What is truly getting old, is that CCSD is higher than the state average therefore we should think of no other ways to grow and change our educational ideas and opportunities in our county. Why not strive to be the absolute best in the state? One with the same opinion would say we need no magnet and stem schools here either. Yet, those counties that out perform ours have all of that variety available to them. Cherokee county has one of the largest homeschool populations in our state. Where is the outcry and hate spewed at them for rejecting their local school?. Why we are at it, let's put down those people who are sending their kids to private school.. Because Families make a choice other than their locally distracted schools does not mean they don't support them or think they are horrible. Fact- CCA is not getting any of your local tax dollars. The main reason why funding in our schools have dropped, is because the pool of money (property tax money) have dropped with the home values. It has been happening for years. CCA will close if it doesn't perform. That is a beautiful thing! If by chance, they are able to out perform any local districted schools on a fraction of the same budget (when factoring out transportation costs), then as smart business people we should look at that model and see what is done right.

@Mikael...Congratulation on homeschooling your child and her 97th percentile scores. I wish her a great future. That said, CCSD offers the same academic opportunities. FWIW, my children score in the 97th and 98th percentiles and they've always attended CCSD schools!

@James...Yes, when you look at our country vs other countries, our combined performance is underwhelming! Unfortunately, there are many reasons for this including the extra-curricular activities you mentioned in addition to socio-economic issues.

If you watched the Fareed Zakaria special on education, the top two performing countries take two different approaches to education. In one, teachers are among the highest paid profession and it is more difficult to get into teaching schools than medical school. They don't believe in homework, start school at age 7, and don't do all of the standardized testing/planning we do. In the other country, students go to school around 6:30/7:00 AM, eat lunch AND dinner at the school, have after school tutoring programs (at school) and many parents send their children to evening tutoring programs. In that country, they've had to pass legislation to make eveing tutoring programs illegal if they run past 10:00 PM. The children outperform academically, but have no life.

So the question to you and others is which model do you want to follow? Study the kids to death or demand teacher excellence via higher pay and prestige?

@Mikael....can't believe that I am going this low, however; I hope you weren't responsible for teaching your gifted prodigy his spelling or grammar lessons.

@Mikael...The public has decided that public education is a good, necessary thing. If you decide to use it, good for you. If you don't and instead want to home school or send to private, good for you. Now on to your point that public dollars should follow your child. My answer is no. Consider the following...

The public decides that fire stations are a good thing and decides to fund them. You never use a fire station, but should you pay? Answer: YES because it's there in case you need it, it adds value to the community, it helps reduce your insurance bill, and improves your home value. Lastly, they're accountable to you, the public. But then someone proposes outsourcing the fire department to a for-profit, bottom-line driven company, that reports to out-of-state management & investors. Do you convert? Answer: NO. They will skimp on personnel & equipment to make the most money possible and provide just enough service to keep their contracts. Schools are no different. And in your argument, if $s follow the child, then why are child-less people paying school taxes? Answer...see above benefits.

Free enterprise is great, especially when dealing with commodity products where there is a low cost of entering the industry. However, education and our kids aren't commodity products. Throw in a 3rd party payer, public funds, a profit motive, and board of directors accountable to its investors, it's a recipe for disaster.

Again, WOW! Insulting someone because of a typo. VERY MATURE..I am done with this board, because this is not a grown up debate on issues. There is no common ground being met by most people. This conversation is fruitless.. I wish all of your families successes in education, where ever they may be. I hope you all have a nice day.

It is all in how it is said. You can twist words to make them sound different than the truth. For example:

A woman without her man, is nothing.

A woman, without her, man is nothing.

CCA does not have a $1.3M shortfall, and is funded for next year.

@Mikael...You assert that my analogy is moot, baseless and not relevant. Obviously, you aren't intelligent enough to see the relevance. But on to your point that charters have been used in other countries and no outcry until it was CCSD.

Other countries with charters? Name them and I guarantee that they aren't the top two countries based upon education scores! Also, just because another country does something, you argue we should too. I'm fine with that. Every industrialized nation has socialized medicine, so should we. Gotcha!

As to no outcry before CCSD, it must be a Dr. P scandal. Or could it be that we have one of the best school systems and an informed populace?

I was not commenting on typos but numerous grammatical errors in all of his posts.
I've been told by one of the Republican members of out legislative delegation that the money for the charters schools will not come out of the percentage of the amount budgeted for education but off the top of the budget. So it will look like we are getting the same percentage of the pot but the potis smaller. Sneaky way of saying that the money isn't coming from public schools.

Cherly;
what money does the state owe CCSD?

When you cant argue the substance attack the grammar and spelling.. Winning!

Ok - once again, I have to inform the public of "The Real Deal" because The Patch and The Tribune are lockstep in the "slanted" bed with the CCSD in usual socialist fashion - Barbara Jacoby tells the Trib and the other media outlets in Cherokee to jump and as usual, they say "Yes Mam."

Here's the "Real Deal" - the reported shortfall is only a budget planning shortfall and the actual deficit or gain is as was listed in the Tribune (hidden deep within the article)..."The financial summary also forecasts a net school deficit of $77,023 for the fiscal year."

It was also noted that this was a "cash flow problem." That being, once the money that was promised to Cherokee Charter Academy flows in, there will be no deficity but rather the school will be financially stable. Also, once transportation is provided as promised during year two, and the Charter Bill is voted on successfully by the public, we will see CCA become full and stable funding from the Fed and State provided, and there will be no funding issues.

This is just another "last ditch" effort by the left wing to attempt to derail the School Choice train in Cherokee and discredit a great school for children - what else would be expected ? Everyone on this board discrediting the school is a CCSD Teacher or Employee, for sure.

Seriously people, is this how bad it gets? Resorting to scandalous lies? Good grief!!!

I'll say it again, I am NOT a teacher in the county. I have never been a teacher in the county. It may be hard for some CCA supporters/parents to hear, but some parents in the county actually LIKE the public school system. Do they not realize they only have a little more than 800 kids in their school, therefore all the rest of us, must LIKE the public education our kids are getting. Granted, some of us sat on our rumps and didn't realize what was going on for quite some time. Lucky for us, the state government nosed in and it made the news what was going on. Parents like myself who thought it would never happen woke up, and some realized what was going on. Now we are coming together to fight this. Wake up CCA parents, not all of us hate CCSD like you do. If the majority of parents did you'd have more than 800 kids and a waiting list so long you could look into opening a second school.

@Real Deal...There you go again spouting non-sense! Anyone who doesn't follow you blindly must be left-wingers and socialists. May I remind you that we're talking about the people of Cherokee County who are some of the most conservative people in the country. There are enough democrats, socialist, or other free-thinkers in Cherokee County to fill a classroom!!! And obviously, any media that reports the news must be socialists and slanted, unless of course you're the Fox Republican Network.

There is a cash flow problem with CCA and the problem is that they need, they want, and they are trying to get public money for a for-profit corporation...But yes, if they get our tax dollars, there won't be a cash flow problem. Now for the irony, you want Government to come to the rescue of a private business. You sound like a Republican version of a Democrat. Good Job!

What am I missing?

CCA, Chip Rogers, and others argue that the school is needed. The school organized a "lottery event" last year planning for 995 students. However, as of January enrollment was only 825 students (83%) of planning. Essentially, they over estimated the "need" by 17%. Now for the kicker...of the students enrolled, 22 (3%) left in January. Why?

And it gets better...of the 825 students enrolled in January only 95% or 784 students are in attendance (i.e. 41 students aren't in attendance). Where are the missing students? Is the school being paid to educate 41 missing students?

Also, what I've heard from charter supporters is that parents are "involved". However, CCA surveyed their parents after 90 days and only received responses from 55% of them. Seems to me that if the parents were thrilled and involved they would have responded and responded favorably. Seeing as how 45% did not respond, it makes me think that 45% of the parents aren't thrilled and may have been afraid of answering negatively.

Thoughts anyone?

@Frank & Ashley - something tells me that based on your logic, if this were the 1960's, the two of you would be lockstep in supporting local school boards support of racial segregation within education. And if you claim you would not, then why is 2012 any different??? You stand in opposition to a child whose parents want them to get a public charter education getting the same money as parents who want their child to get a traditional education. How is this educational slavery of 2012 any different from the educational slavery of the 1800's and the 1960's? Perhaps the two of you should read these two articles, on the truth..and rethink your stance.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/charter-ruling-flunks-history-956354.html

http://www.runawayslavemovie.com/site/

You do have options...you have the option to be happy or to be mad. People waste so much time and energy being mad (especially here). There was a lot of madness in the high school gymnasium that fateful evening as well. But you know what? This morning… I got my happy bootie in my happy car and drove my happy beautiful children to CCA. I kissed them goodbye and thanked God for my blessed life. For the remainder of this school year and the next school year, I will do the same thing repeatedly. The option of CCA was a blessing for our family - it’s none of your business why! So go ahead...waste a bunch of time and energy being mad…let it eat you up. Misery loves company. My family…we choose happy!

@Ashley - I ask you to please answer these questions at hand -

1) Why should a child whose whose parents want them to get a public charter education (because it will help them optimize their child's education) get less, or no money or opportunity at all, as parents who want their child to get a traditional public education? Are you telling me, and parents like Hope, that because Dr. P has determined by use of test scores and other self-proclaimed data, that because Cherokee is an overall great school district, that individual children who could be better off in a charter delivery environment cannot have that and must be enslaved to a poorer solution solely because Dr. P and people like you (those that make their living off of the public system) say so???

2) How is this educational slavery of 2012 any different from the educational slavery of the 1800's and the 1960's? Can you articulate this objectively? Why is a child that attends a traditional public school treated and resourced better than a child attending a charter school? Is this not discrimination, and educational segregation and slavery?

3) If your child was performing poorly in a traditional public school in CCSD, then all of a sudden, you moved them to a Charter environment, and they reached their highest potential, would you move them back to the traditional public school environment, and accept that as ok??? Think about your answer to that question.

Where will the charter school students go to high school? Could some of them end up back in the CCSD schools that their parents have been bad mouthing? They will be welcomed because this issue is about educating all kids, can CCA say the same thing?

To all reading this board - as expected, my posting above on Saturday March 4th at 7:59 p.m. has now come to be 100% accurate. That being, that the recent reported "shortfall" was an orchestrated attempt by the local media and the CCSD to unscrupulously discredit CCA. See the correction and article today by Danny Dukes published in The Patch.
http://canton-ga.patch.com/articles/fl-operator-advances-cherokee-charter-academy-needed-funds
It just goes to show you how unscrupulous and full of vengeance the CCSD and some of the media are acting right now. If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was living in Chicago and seeing the corrupt politics of Rahm Emanuel and Obama in full action.

Thank you Mr. Dukes for setting the record straight, for educating the public on the truth, and for calling out the CCSD and some elements of the local media for the unscrupulous actions that have been undertaken in an attempt to shamelessly wreck a wonderful school in CCA. Dr. P said a few weeks ago, "The Gloves are Off." The problem with that statement is that what he probably meant to say, "Let the backstabbing begin."

Real men, with scruples, go toe to toe where all can see who they are, and what they are all about. The truth is now out.

No, at the end of the day, this all boils down to one thing - either you agree that money appropriated for education should belong to the child regardless of what type of school they attend or where they attend, or you believe in the money going solely to a government run educational system that serves some but underserves a large % of students - (ergo, educational slavery) - and that is most likely because you are part of the government ystem that feeds you. It is that simple. Watch the documentary, "Waiting for Superman." This has nothing to do with money other than the fact that the public educational establishment wants all the money, all the power, and has all the greed, and could care less about the children unless it conveniently fits nicely into their agenda of Power, Money, and more greed. That is it. If you feel your kids are at risk, it is not because of the Charter School - it is because of Dr. P's lavish spending on indirect staffing he refuses to cut ahead of classroom teaching and resources, the new administration building he wants, and the old SPLOST where he has spent millions of dollars over budget of the taxpayer's money on school buildings and other programs that were questionable in terms of "need."