BOE Chair Mike Chapman Attacks Fellow Board Member

The county's longest serving school board member criticizes fellow member Michael Geist for allegedly violating board policy.

Not the one to shy away from controversy, Cherokee School Board Chairman Mike Chapman criticized fellow board member and charter school supporter Michael Geist for what he referred to as Geist's violation of school board policies. Chapman, who decided not to seek re-election after he was reapportioned out of his current post by the Georgia legislature, said it was "imperative" to point out Geist's actions, which Chapman said "disturbs me greatly." "Mr. Geist, as I move off the board I feel it imperative that I and fellow board members confront you on your actions as a member of this board," he said. "I raise this issue strictly with the desire to prevent our system from moving back into the past which could very well put our accreditation …

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Two File Complaint Against GA Charter Educational Foundation

The Georgia Charter Educational Foundation is the governing body of Cherokee Charter Academy.

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Parents Fight Bureaucracy for Charter Schools

This writer is concerned that school districts are stifling the voices of parents that are in favor of the charter school amendment.

Dear Editor: For those who have been following the debate regarding Amendment One – the Charter Amendment – and wondering why everyone is so upset, I wanted to give you some final thoughts.  For those of us in the thick of it, it’s a passionate subject that goes to the basic instinct of parents, what’s best for our kids and who is best to decide that?  Looking at the last 180 days I can say with certainty that those of us in favor of this amendment have definitely been out “PRed.”  We don’t have the ability to send home flyers in thousands of backpacks or have access to the public relations machines districts have.  The fact the opposition has played the victim in this fight is both brilliant and hysterical.  In most counties where there …

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Sen. Rogers To Receive Award

The senate majority leader will be honored at the Georgia Charter Schools Association's conference

Georgia Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) will receive the 2012 Charter Schools Impact Award during the 10th annual Georgia Charter Schools Association's conference. Rogers, a strong advocate for school choice, will receive the award during an award ceremony at the conference at noon on Thursday at the Georgia World Congress Center.  Along with Rogers, Cherokee County School Board member-elect Kelly Marlow of Canton will also receive the Power to the Parents Award from the organization. Marlow won the July 31 Republican primary for the District 1 school board race. Marlow has two children who attend Cherokee Charter Academy. 

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Response to State Superintendent’s Position on Charter Schools Mixed

Georgia Schools Superintendent Dr. John Barge has publicly said he opposes an amendment that would give the state the authority to grant charters for independent schools.

Responses are mixed after State Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced that he opposes an amendment that would allow the state the authority to grant charters to independent schools. Gov. Nathan Deal, who signed the implementing legislation at Cherokee Charter Academy in May, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was "discouraged that Superintendent Barge has changed his position since the campaign trail and no longer believes parents should have public school options for their children. "His new position doesn’t change mine. I stand with 2/3 of the General Assembly and will uphold the promises I made when I ran for office: Parents and students should have public school options; this is the best form of local control." The Georgia…

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Teresa Cox

11:57 pm on Monday, October 1, 2012

Sir, i hope you will also realized that as a parent of a kid with disability, charter school is the best school for them. My son learned more than at the traditional public school. I hope you will consider your decision. Please, we needed your support. Thank you and God Bless!   more ›

Pro-Charter School Campaign Launches

Families for Better Public Schools is registered as a statewide constitutional amendment ballot committee with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

Supporters of a constitutional amendment that asks voters if the state should have full authority to approve and fund local charter schools have started a social media campaign to get the measure passed in November. This week, the Families for Better Public Schools campaign launched a website as well as Facebook and Twitter pages to share the benefits of charter schools with voters. “We have a very active network of charter parents, students and teachers,” said Mark Peevy, the manager of the Families for Better Public Schools campaign, which is registered as a statewide constitutional amendment ballot committee with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. “We will rely on them to tell their stories, because …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Charter's CRCT Results Are 'Remarkable'

The school opened during the 2011-12 school year.

In its first year of operation, Cherokee Charter Academy exhibits remarkable results in the 2012 Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Highlights of this year’s CRCT results: “We are very proud,” principal Vanessa Suarez said. “The faculty and students worked very hard this year.” The school, which was delayed in opening, outperformed the state in all areas but one. When comparing the scores to the local Cherokee County School District, Cherokee Charter Academy outperformed or tied its district counterparts nearly 80 percent of the time while remaining within 3 percentage points of the district in four of the five remaining areas. In fifth grade, Cherokee Charter Academy students achieved higher results 100 percent of the time. “We …

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Are you sure

2:54 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012

You obviously have not spent any time in Cherokee High school or Freedom Middle school. These are some of the best teachers in the state. CCS begged many of these teachers to move to the Charter school and they declined the offer. The AP class choice and social experience a student at Cherokee HS receives will never be matched by the for profit Charter school experience. Not only is Cherokee …   more ›

CRCT: How Did Your School Fare?

Open the PDFs to see the percentage of Cherokee students who met or exceeded state standards on the CRCT.

The Cherokee County School District released the following statement about the district's performance on the CRCT.  Cherokee County School District students continued to exceed State performance averages on the 2012 Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (GCRCT) which were administered this spring; and every CCSD school saw improvements in scores in one or more grade levels and/or subject areas. The GCRCTs, which are used to assess the Georgia Performance Standards, are administered in Grades 3-8 in the subjects of Reading, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The scores are reported as percentages of students who Exceed, Meet or Do Not Meet standards. The attached charts report the scores of all CCSD 2011…

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Cherokee Music Teacher Wins Award

As one of 30 New American Hero Award recipients, Cherokee Charter's Valerie Stancil is eligible for a $5,000 grand prize.

Cherokee Charter Academy music teacher Valerie Stancil is one of 30 charter school teachers in several states who have been selected as 2012 New American Hero Award recipients, officials announced today. The New American Hero initiative highlights teachers "who have made a significant investment in their students' lives," Charter Schools USA spokeswoman Colleen Reynolds said in a statement. Charter Schools USA operates Cherokee Charter Academy. Stancil and the 29 other winners will each receive $1,000 and be eligible for a $5,000 grand prize. "Valerie Stancil is a compassionate, respectful educator who takes her students on a musical adventure each time they enter her classroom," Cherokee Charter principal Vanessa Suarez said. "We …

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