What's happening with South Cobb's STEM charter school?
South Cobb Patch gets you up to speed on the incidents surrounding a potential STEM charter school in South Cobb.
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So, what is happening to the planned K-12 STEM charter School in South Cobb?
South Cobb Patch gives you the rundown on STEM Inventors Academy to get you caught up to speed.
2010- Nate Riley, a concerned South Cobb parent, brought the idea of a STEM charter school to South Cobb School Board member David Morgan.
From this time until October 2011, Riley, Morgan and others (including Morgan’s wife, State Rep. Alisha Morgan) meet with staff of Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University to begin planning for the charter school and to gain support.
Summer 2011- Organizers contact the Cobb County School District about a partnership and to gain assistance for a planning grant application.
September 2011- Board members receive a board update newsletter mentioning the district’s partnership with the charter school and its preparation for the planning grant application. Board members did not discuss the charter school in public and never gave explicit approval.
Sept. 29, 2011- The Cobb school board votes 4-3 to not renew the charter petition of Imagine International Academy of Mableton.
Oct. 28, 2011- Alisha Morgan asks South Cobb community members if they would write letters of support for the South Cobb STEM school. The letters were submitted with the application for a planning grant on Nov. 1.
Nov. 1, 2011- The 147-page application for the planning grant is submitted with Cobb County School District listed as the lead partner on the application. KSU and SPSU are listed as associated partners. CCSD officials and staff members from KSU and SPSU helped write the grant application. Organizers plan to open the school in fall 2013.
Jan. 11, 2012- Winners of the Race to the Top Innovation Fund grants are announced. STEM Inventors Academy organizers are awarded a $50,000 planning grant. According to the release from Gov. Nathan Deal’s office, “Through the Innovation Fund, the state awards grants to partnerships between local education authorities or charter schools, institutions of higher education, businesses and nonprofit organizations that develop or implement innovative and high-impact programs aimed at producing positive outcomes for students.”
This release also states that local universities will work with the Cobb County School District to create this charter school.
Jan. 17, 2012- Interim Principal of Imagine Mableton, James Owmby, sends out an email to parents asking “Where was the recusal?” After learning that Alisha Morgan is an organizer for a potential STEM charter school in South Cobb, Owmby inquires about a potential conflict of interest for David Morgan, who voted not to renew Imagine Mableton’s charter. Owmby said Imagine Mableton could have been seen as competition for the new South Cobb charter school. David Morgan stood by his vote, insisted a recusal was not required for the September vote and added that the South Cobb school would have complemented Imagine Mableton, not competed with it.
Alisha Morgan declines to comment about the charter school.
Feb. 2, 2012- Hinojosa told the Marietta Daily Journal that he was interested in converting a particular South Cobb school to a charter school. Hinojosa said that it was only after the grant application had been submitted that the group organizing the school ultimately chose to have a startup charter, not a conversion charter.
Feb. 13, 2012- CCSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa and staff meet with Owmby to discuss revisiting the board’s decision to not renew the Imagine Mableton’s expiring charter petition.
Feb. 15, 2012- Hinojosa writes a letter to Race to the Top Project Director Lauren Wright declining the Race to the Top funds for the startup charter. CCSD will not (and cannot) be the school’s lead partner, and neither KSU nor SPSU will accept the position as lead partner of the charter school. The grant was applied for without approval from the county school board.
Feb. 16, 2012- Owmby receives a letter from CCSD Deputy Superintendent Alice Strouder stating that Hinojosa will not recommend the board revisit its Sept. 29 decision to not renew the school’s charter petition.
Feb. 18, 2012- David Morgan tells constituents at his monthly town hall meeting, “There was a breakdown in communication in terms of the board's notification of the grant. Neither of our partners--Kennesaw State University or Southern Poly--were interested in being the lead partner."
Does South Cobb need a STEM charter school? Should the district revisit its decision to not renew Imagine Mableton's charter petition? Tell us in the comments below.
Amanda L.
9:31 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
South Cobb needs school board reps who will actually advocate for our public schools rather than lobbying for charter schools. There are great things happening in our public schools every day. These schools are full of bright, successful children who are backed by their parents who are working hard to support local school communities. We don't need more charter schools. We don't need David Morgan lobbying against our public schools. We need the Board to recognize that the words "South Cobb" mean more than "achievement gap". Now more than ever, there are parents who are willing and able to stand behind our communities and if we could get some support from Board members (rather than trying to farm out more resources to unapproved or just as poorly performing charter schools) it sure would help.
Parentsforchoice
3:58 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012
What is Dr. Hinojosa's reason for not revisiting the charter because clearly there was a conflict of interest on David Morgan's part? Parents should always have options to where they want to send their children. What may fit for one parent does not necessarily means it fits for another. Parents at Imagine Mableton or any other charter school or even a school of choice opted to send their children to these schools because they do not want to attend the public schools. The board is being selfish because they want to save face. By revisiting the vote means that they have to acknowledge that they were wrong. Nevertheless, what goes around will come around. David Morgan needs to do what is right for all those parents he promised he would support charter schools to win their votes. Instead of voting against, why not help to bring the school to success. Oh yeah, he had another charter school in mind.
Andrea Young
11:41 am on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Can we just move on to a well thought out SOLUTION? If TFA, Choice, and STEM Schools are not the answer what is? The post that I currently reside in has struggled for the last 6 plus years and nothing has been done about it. I have heard every excuse possible - lack of parent participation, too many class distractions, the children are not learning, the teachers are tired, the principals are doing the best they can with the resources they have, this is a poverty stricken area how is it that Ron Clark Academy and KIPP continue to succeed those schools are in poverty stricken areas. As a parent I am tired! My children are now being home schooled until I can figure a way out of this mess.
The focus has always been on the teachers, we don't want teachers to loose their jobs but, if the teachers are ineffective…they should go - let's be honest the way the system is set up the teachers will be fine, they will always have a job regardless if they are a good teacher or a not so good teacher. Principals and Area Superintendents same fate ineffective…. they need to go.
I no longer have any faith in our board members/elected officials- how can you possibly come up with any solutions if you can't identify what the problems are, I rarely see any board members or elected officials in this area unless they are looking for a vote. I am doing whatever it takes (legally) to ensure that my children get a great education. Mediorce is not an option for my children.