In an email entitled “WHERE WAS THE RECUSAL? WHY NOT?” interim Imagine International Academy of Mableton Principal James Owmby outlined his argument for a recall and another vote on the school’s charter renewal–this time with a recusal of South Cobb Board of Education member David Morgan.

“This email was sent to encourage you to ask for a recall of the vote against our school, in light of the possible conflict of interest involved in such a situation. It presents a case for that recall and re-vote. It also addresses claims Ms. Morgan made to justify her position in favor of closing Imagine Mableton,” Owmby wrote.

Owmby wants an independent organization to investigate what he said is a potential conflict of interest. If the organization finds there is a conflict of interest, Owmby said the school board should recall its September vote of 4-3 to not renew the school's charter petition and cast another vote.

David Morgan and his wife, Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell), are both involved in the organization of a new STEM charter school, STEM Inventors Academy, which is slated to open in South Cobb in fall 2013.

The group organizing the school was one of 11 winners of a $50,000 planning grant from a Race to the Top grant program.

Other organizers for STEM Inventors Academy include Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University as well as the Cobb County School District.

Nate Riley, a member of the South Cobb Academic Taskforce, initially brought the idea of establishing a STEM charter school in South Cobb to Morgan approximately two and a half years ago, Morgan explained.

"I've been a part of meetings with the universities and Nate and other constituents," Morgan said. Because it's a possible new school in the South Cobb area, "I want to be aprised and abreast of what it is."

When it comes to recusing himself from any future vote on the STEM Inventors Academy, Morgan agrees that he should.

However, he does not believe there was any conflict of interest when he voted on Imagine Mableton's charter in September "because I didn't have anything to do with the creation of the school nor was I elected when it's charter had been approved."

Thomas Morgan said she was not comfortable discussing the school until a communications plan had been devised and discussed with other group members.

The Morgans are active advocates for quality education, parent choice and charter schools. Morgan works for American Federation for Children, a national advocacy organization promoting school choice. Thomas Morgan has introduced and voted in favor of charter school and parent choice legislation, such as 2009’s House Bill 251, which created a streamlined, uniform process for school transfers within school districts.

She received the Impact Award from the Georgia State Charter School Association, the organization’s highest award on Oct. 6, exactly one week after Cobb Board of Education members voted down Imagine Mableton’s charter renewal.

At Thursday’s town hall meeting hosted by Thomas Morgan and Rep. David Wilkerson, Thomas Morgan said, “I’m a strong supporter of quality charter schools, and when you meet 13 percent of the things you said you would do, that means you are not meeting your standards, and you need to be closed. If we kept all public schools to that standard, imagine how much better kids would be educated.”

Owmby questioned how Thomas Morgan arrived at 13 percent. Of the 10 reasons listed on BOE’s follow-up letter to the school about the denial, poor academic performance was not included, Owmby pointed out. However, the school's unstable board and leadership was a chief concern.

“That was their rallying cry…Academic failure does not come up nor does the number 13 percent,” Owmby said.

Because Morgan is part of a board that can authorize charter schools and approve their charters, Owmby said it is “curious in the extreme” that Thomas Morgan was involved in the creation of a Cobb charter school.

Owmby, who said Morgan should have recused himself from the Sept. 29 vote on the school's charter, emphasizes that he supports the creation of the STEM or other charter schools.

“If people want to start a thousand charter schools in this area, I will get out and carry a banner for them, even if it’s Alisha Morgan. I think a thousand flowers should bloom," he said, adding that he is asking for a fair hearing or one-year extension for IIAM.

“We certainly don’t want the school board and the administration of Cobb County to say that there’s no conflict of interest. I don’t care about them starting a charter school. I care about how they treated us.”

Because the state of Georgia does not have an independent body that authorizes or approves charter schools, Owmby said the schools’ existence is at the mercy of local school districts, which are in competition for students and funding. Charter schools are also competing against each other for students and funds, he continued.

“Put us on a level playing field because the parents will do the voting on that because they would either choose to stay with us or they wouldn’t. They would either choose to go there or they would not,” Owmby said.

Morgan disagrees that the two schools would have been in competition with each other.

"That's not the case. They wouldn't be competing. They would be complementing...It's not like they would be competing for the same funds," Morgan said, adding that having both schools would have given South Cobb parents "more options based on their children's needs."