Bonnie Holiday (Chief Strategy Officer) and Cameron Quick (Director of the Facility Resource Center (FRC)) from the Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) presented information on GCSA's work generally, and the FRC specifically. Presentation materials may be accessed here.

• Commissioners Brockway, Lowden, and Perez thanked GCSA for their hard work on creating the FRC.
• Commissioner Dudgeon asked if their FRC experts were contractors. GCSA responded that its experts were originally contracted but now they are on staff.
• Commissioner Dudgeon asked how the FRC was funded. GCSA explained that it charges its schools an administration fee and partners with other organizations for funding.
• Commissioner Dudgeon asked what is the FRC’s constraint from doing more. GCSA responded that many schools have never heard of this resource, and they often come to the FRC too late
• Commissioner Dudgeon asked if inflation was having an effect on start-up schools? GCSA explained that rates have been able to stay low so far but they have seen an uptick in the market.

Michele Neeley, President of the State Charter Schools Foundation (SCSF), provided an overview on the history of the SCSF and its organizational structure, and an update on the programs the SCSF offers. Presentation materials may be accessed here.

• Commissioner Perez asked how the book vending machine operates. The SCSF President explained that the students get to select a book from the vending machine and keep it. This encourages literacy.
• Commissioner Dudgeon and Brockway expressed how exciting the book vending machines are.

Petitioner Bootcamp was held virtually on September 21.

Several petitioner-related trainings will be held in November, including:

• November 2nd – Petition Policy Updates
• November 9th – Petition Platform Overview
• November 15th – Petition Budget Template Deep-dive

An Associate General Counsel presented the tentative timeline for the 2023 Petition Cycle, which will be finalized in October.

The Director of Research and Accountability discussed the modified accountability measures that were proposed during the August 31, 2022 SCSC Board meeting. The modified measures will remain open for public comment through September 30, 2022.

The General Counsel provided an update on the SCSC monitoring process and timeline. School health and safety visits have concluded. The legal team is now reviewing school-submitted documents for compliance. Schools are required to submit a corrective action plan for any findings or adverse practices they may receive.

The Chief Operation Officer reminded schools that the audit deadline is November 1st. Contact Candice Ball if you have any questions.

The Director of Research and Accountability presented the calendar for the 2022-23 renewal petition timeline and provided a reminder of the new a tenured school renewal standards. Schools that earn a five-year renewal based on their performance are not required to participate in a renewal interview. 

The application will be released November 1, 2022. Applications are due January 3, 2022. The timeline is similar to the timeline approved by the SCSC in previous years.

Presentation materials and can be accessed here. 

The staff recommendation can be accessed here.

• Ebony Payne Brown provided an update on PEACE Academy’s enrollment, funding, and facility.
• Kolt Bloxson provided an update on Miles Ahead Charter School’s facility, governing board, and funding.
• Dr. James Bumpus provided an update on Cirrus Charter Academy’s progress toward meeting the goals in its corrective action plan.