Schools

Cherokee Superintendent Calls Charter Discussion 'Premature'

Frank Petruzielo said a school board member's decision to put the issue on Thursday's agenda was "ill-advised."

, Superintendent Frank Petruzielo had harsh words for one board member.

"It is ill-advised and premature for School Board Member Kim Cochran to call for a School Board vote on the resubmitted charter school petition before receiving and carefully reviewing legal, fiscal, programmatic and operational impact analyses from the School Board Attorney and Superintendent in this regard," he wrote in a statement. "It also is ill-advised and premature for Mrs. Cochran to call for a School Board vote on this issue six weeks ahead of the most important policy decision made annually by the School Board, which is adoption of a proposed ($527 Million) CCSD budget for next year that will affect more than 39,000 students and more than 4,500 employees … and two weeks ahead of a Called School Board Meeting already scheduled to consider the resubmitted petition."

The was to discuss Cherokee Charter Academy at 7:30 p.m. June 30. But late Friday, Cochran added the item to the June 16 agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

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Cochran could not be reached for comment.

Officials with the Georgia Charter Educational Foundation, the body that governs Cherokee Charter Academy, wrote in a weekend letter to parents that they needed the school board to approve the charter before June 30.

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"and the State Board of Education has called a special meeting for June 28 to vote on the State Special Charter applications," foundation board members wrote. "Note the meeting on June 28 is also intended for the State Board of Education to vote on any locally approved charter applications, which is an important reason why we need the Cherokee School Board to take action on our application prior to June 28. Although we are pursuing State Special Charter School status as an option, we strongly prefer to be approved by the local School Board as it will provide more certainty to our funding and ability to operate the school."

In addition to Cochran, Petruzielo went after interest groups and politicians in his statement, though he didn't call them out by name.

"Significant interest group activity and political pressure in this regard has enhanced the potential for this to become a case of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul,' he wrote. "School Board Members have recently heard from Paul’s parents, but they have not yet heard from Peter’s – or from their employees, many of whom could be negatively impacted by their decision in this regard."

Stay with canton-ga.patch.com for updates on this developing story.


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