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NEWS
October 15, 2008
There will be a very important meeting for the Advisory Committee and other interested community members on Monday, October 20th at 6:00 PM in the Heron Bay Lodge. We will discuss recent events along with our strategy and timeline going forward.
Thank you to our supporters who contacted school board members and came out to the recent school board meetings in Henry and Griffin-Spalding. Although the petition was denied by both districts, we did receive an invitation to continue the process of district approval. School Board members and staff spoke very positively on the petitions with specific comments on the rigorous educational program, community support and professionalism of the application. The reasons cited for the denials were 1) the perceived difficulties in resolving the cross jurisdictional issues that may present themselves because Heron Bay is located in two school districts, and 2) the current economic uncertainties which present unknown budgetary consequences to the district.
Charter school advocates in Georgia are well aware of the difficulties charter schools face in receiving charter approval from local school districts. Because of this, a recent bill (HB 881) was enacted in May of this year to create a state wide commission to act as an alternate authorizer. This is exciting news for charter schools. We welcome the idea of working with local districts, but would also welcome the opportunity of working with the new commission by applying to become a commission school. The commission will be in place before spring, at which time we can apply for the 2010-2011 school year. Our plan is to continue talking with the school districts, and/or submit to the state commission as soon as they begin receiving applications. Thank you for your ongoing support!
For more information about HB 881, please see the following: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/sum/hb881.htm
August 26, 2008
We are pleased to announce that Heron Bay Academy received a planning grant from the Georgia Department of Education in the amount of $5,000. These funds will be used for costs associated with developing the charter school.
The Heron Bay Academy charter application was submitted to Henry County and Griffin-Spalding County School Systems on May 9, 2008. We are anticipating a decision from Henry and Griffin-Spalding school systems in September regarding the approval of our charter for the 2010-2011 school year. Please mark your calendar and come out to the school board meetings to show your support for HBA. As meeting dates get closer, we will be able to confirm if we are on the agenda.
Henry County 10/13/08 at 7PM
Griffin-Spalding 9/30/08 at 6 PM
HBA will continue to accept pre-enrollment forms for 2009-10. You must be a resident of Henry or Spalding Counties to apply for enrollment. Forms are available here. The HBA Advisory Committee continues to accept new members. If you wish to join the committee, please send an email message to mbowman@mosaicaeducation.com.
