State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia
Minutes
State Charter School Commission of Georgia Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday September 30, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Location
SCSC Board Room
1356B Twin Towers East,
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30334
Virtual Access:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84427916648?pwd=Sb7CtaC1vb3hWrKWFyQFAa4GCXlIh2.1
Meeting ID: 844 2791 6648
Passcode: 965938
Phone Access: 646-931-3860
Directors Present
B. Brockway, B. Scafidi, L. Millan (remote), M. Dudgeon, T. Lowden
Directors Absent
C. Good
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Approve Agenda
D.
Approve Minutes
II. State Charter School Spotlight
A.
School Presentation: Ethos Classical Charter School
III. Division Reports
A.
Executive Director
The SCSC Executive Director provided the office updates below:
- Erica Acha-Morfaw's, SCSC Communications Specialist, last day with the SCSC will be October 2.
- The SCSC hosted a facility roundtable to discuss how charter schools can use unused school-district-owned facilities.
B.
Research & Evaluation Division
The SCSC Research and Evaluation Division presented on the SCSC annual authorizer evaluation that was conducted by the National Association for Charter School Authorizers.
Commissioners commended the SCSC staff for their hard work in achieving its exemplary rating.
Additionally, the division presented on the preliminary Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Commissioners commended the schools' progress and performance.
IV. Action Items
A.
CSP SE Subgrant Awards for CTAE and High-Impact Tutoring Programs
CSP Award Recommendations Sep 30 2026 (002).pdf
Representatives from the following schools provided comment on their respective recommendations:
Barry Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Cirrus Academy Charter School (recommended for Tutoring)
Dr. Matthew Stone, Head of School of Cherokee Classical Academy (recommended for Tutoring)
Brian King, Executive Director/Principal at Liberation Academy (recommended for Tutoring)
Jocelyn Alter, Co-founder / Head of School at DeKalb Brilliance Academy (recommended for Tutoring)
Charlie Harper, Director of External Affairs, and Dr. Deirdre Daniels, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director, of Georgia Cyber Academy (recommended for CTAE)
Dr. Kelly Gunn, Executive Director of The Kindezi Schools (recommended for Tutoring)
Kolt Bloxson Pitts, Executive Director of Miles Ahead Charter School (recommended for Tutoring)
Aranya Knox, Principal of Hapeville Charter Career Academy (recommended for CTAE AND Tutoring)
Amanda Miller, Superintendent at Scintilla Charter Academy (recommended for CTAE)
Kelly Rucker, Superintendent, and Wendy Courtney, CTAE Director, of Baconton Community Charter School (recommended for CTAE)
Southwest Georgia STEM Charter School provided a written statement (recommended for CTAE)
Commissioners commended SCSC staff and Sr. Director of School Support and Outreach Michele Neely for securing this grant and distributing the subgrant to schools.
B.
Charter Contract Amendment - Baconton Community Charter School
Representatives from the school provided comment in support of the recommendation
Baconton Charter Amendment Recommendation.Enrollment Maximum.pdf
C.
Charter Contract Surrender - Dominion Purpose Academy
Commissioners expressed condolences over the school's surrender and noted that this underscores the need for unused facilities reform.
V. Public Comment
A.
Trent Kramer - Classical Learning Test (CLT)
Mr. Kramer spoke in favor of a new standardized test, the Classical Learning Test (CLT).
VI. Additional Items from Commissioners
A.
Liberty Classical Schools
Commissioner Scafidi asked representatives from Liberty Classical Schools about their waitlist and acceptance rate.
B.
General Comments
Commissioner Lowden stated that over the next few years, the Georgia charter school movement will be under more scrutiny. It is unclear what the state education budget will be as the state administration changes, so SCSC schools must perform well. Commissioner Brockway further commented that Ethos Classical proves why we work so hard.
Representatives from Ethos Classical Charter School presented on the school's recent achievements.
Commissioners commended the school on its progress and accomplishments.