August 2, 2024

Commission Board Approves Three New Charter Schools for Fall 2025

The SCSC Board of Commissioners approved charter petitions for three new start-up charter schools at its July 2024 board meeting: Movement School Atlanta, The Simple Vue Academy, and The Wright Community School. These schools, which plan to open in the 2025-26 school year, not only reflect the SCSC’s commitment to expanding better educational opportunities but also support the SCSC’s strategic plan objective to "expand high-quality middle and high school choice" to increase available options across all grades.


Movement School Atlanta will be the second state-authorized school in Georgia from the Movement Schools network serving Atlanta Public Schools, and Clayton, Dekalb and Fulton counties. The school will bring an educational model centered on problem-based learning, character development and college and career readiness. The Simple Vue Academy will offer a Project-Based STREAM curriculum in Cobb, Douglas, Fulton, and Paulding counties, focusing on entrepreneurship and 21st-century skills. The Wright Community School will serve Clayton, DeKalb, and Henry counties with a mastery-based learning model aimed at empowering students through personalized education. More information about these schools can be found on their websites below.


For more details, read the full press release.

Movement School Atlanta


Movement Schools is thrilled to continue our expansion in Georgia. We deeply believe it is not about the number of schools we open but instead, the number of scholars and families we can have a positive impact on and vice versa. We are committed to strive for and achieve excellence and we will not give up until we do so. We have been working on this approval for a few years, which proves our resilience and our commitment to Georgia (my home and place I started my education career). The work that we do does not come with overnight success, no Movement ever has.


- Kerri-Ann Thomas, CEO Movement Schools


www.movementschools.org

The Simple Vue Academy


The approval of The Simple Vue Academy by the SCSC is a game-changer for students in Douglas, Cobb, Paulding and Fulton counties. This innovative charter school will provide a unique blend of STREAM (science, technology, reading/writing, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education and entrepreneurial training, empowering our youth to become the innovators and change-makers of tomorrow. We are deeply grateful to the SCSC for their support and to the GCSA Incubator for their invaluable guidance in developing our school model. 


- The Simple Vue Academy Board of Trustees


www.thesimplevueacademy.org

The Wright Community School


We are excited to have the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia’s support in opening The Wright Community School for the 2025-26 school year. We look forward to continuing to work with the community on the school’s launch. Special thanks to Christa Thomas and Kelly Cadman from the GCSA Incubator, Pelleo Badiane, redefinED, and the team at GaCan for their support in developing our school.


- The Wright Community School Leader & Board


www.thewrightcommunityschool.org

State Charter Schools Commission Updates & Announcements

SCSC Organizational Updates


The SCSC is undergoing significant organizational changes aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, expanding services and support to charter schools, and implementing recent legislative mandates. Key changes are summarized below: 

Cerrone Lockett transitioned from her role as General Counsel to Chief Operating Officer (COO) on July 1. In this updated COO role, Cerrone oversees division directors to ensure operational consistency across SCSC divisions and to encourage collaboration across divisions to promote comprehensive policymaking.


Erin Wright was promoted on July 1 and now leads the SCSC's Legal Division as General Counsel.


Tiffany Leach has been promoted to the role of Senior Associate General Counsel.


The Legal Division will no longer oversee petition evaluation and school financial accountability processes. 


The SCSC has added a Finance Division that will focus on financial matters relevant to the SCSC and state charter schools. Carmen Freemire will lead the Finance Division as its Senior Director.



The SCSC will no longer have a Charter Development Division.

Instead, the SCSC will provide enhanced services and support to charter petitioners and newly approved charter schools in its New Schools Division. The New Schools Division will also implement the SCSC's petition evaluation functions, which the Legal Division previously managed. Kristen Easterbrook will lead this work as the Director of New Schools.


The SCSC will provide increased support to charter schools beyond their first year through its new School Support & Outreach Division. The School Support & Outreach Division integrates the State Charter Schools Foundation's outstanding support and outreach programs with existing training and support offered by the SCSC.


Allen Mueller now serves as the Senior Director of the Office for Charter School Compliance (OCSC), which was re-established within the SCSC. The OCSC is charged with overseeing local authorization practices and enhancing training, oversight, and evaluation capabilities to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of local charter school authorization.

These organizational changes directly support the SCSC Strategic Plan objective to "Develop and maintain a strong internal foundation that aligns with and supports the SCSC's mission and vision" underscoring our commitment to continual improvement and excellence in serving the Georgia charter school sector. 

SCSC Updated Divisions & Functions Chart

Welcome New SCSC Staff

Allen Mueller

Senior Director of the Office of Charter School Compliance


As Senior Director of the Office of Charter School Compliance, Allen Mueller oversees the support, performance monitoring, and growth of locally-approved charter schools. Mr. Mueller works closely with petitioners, school districts, locally-approved charter schools, and external stakeholders to increase equitable access to high-quality educational programs throughout the state. 


Mr. Mueller joined the SCSC staff in July 2024 and brings over two decades of experience in the charter sector. Most recently, Mr. Muller served as the Director of the Office of Charter School Compliance at the Georgia Department of Education. Before serving at the state level, he held roles as a district-level authorizer, charter school developer, NACSA consultant, and leader of Georgia’s charter school incubator program.

Henry Siebentritt

Academic Evaluation Analyst


As Academic Evaluation Analyst, Mr. Henry Siebentritt supports the SCSC's research initiatives, as well as the program evaluation and academic accountability functions of the Research and Evaluation Division.


Mr. Siebentritt joined the SCSC as an intern in January 2024, where he provided assistance and cross-functional support during the FY24 renewal and petition cycles. Before joining the SCSC staff in July 2024, Mr. Siebentritt worked as a middle school math teacher in Athens, Georgia. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Davidson College and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia. 

FY25 Monitoring


The timeline for the 2024-2025 (FY25) Monitoring Cycle is now available.

Monitoring Webinar

August 19, 1:30 p.m.

Register Here

Health and Safety Visit notifications to schools

August 19

SCSC Administrative Portal opens

August 20

Document submission window

August 20 - October 1 (6 weeks)

Health and Safety Visit window

September 9 - October 31

Questions?

Register Today for the FY25 Monitoring Webinar

FY25 LEA Legal Obligations Guidance

The SCSC Guidance Document “Legal Obligations of a State Charter School” has been updated to include statutory references from the 2024 Georgia legislative session. Schools may access the guidance document below and on the Operations page of the SCSC website.

Legal Obligations of a State Charter School

New School Leader Fellowship

Applications are now being accepted for the third round of the New School Leader Fellowship! This program will include intensive support in a cohort setting for new school leaders during their pre-opening year. Led by a Georgia charter school founder and school leader, participants will gain the knowledge and guidance to plan for a successful first year in both academics and operations. This opportunity is funded by Georgia’s FY2022 CSP SE Grant, and it is free to participants. 


All current Georgia charter schools with an approved charter contract and a planned Fall 2025 opening are encouraged to apply. Find more information and the application at findagacharter.org/grants. Please direct any questions to info@findagacharter.org. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 12.

Learn More & Apply

SCSC Bulletin Board

Did You Know?


It’s Reporting Season!


Schools are welcoming back students for the 2024-2025 school year (Fiscal Year 2025). There is a great deal going on when school starts up again. The SCSC would like to remind the staff at schools responsible for financial reporting to be aware of these important requirements.


BUDGETS & AUDITS


Every fiscal year, school districts are required to submit documents to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG) under the Transparency in Government Act. This includes all SCSC state charter schools.


Specifically, O.C.G.A. §36-80-21 (c) & (d) require:


  • Within 30 days of final budget adoption for the upcoming fiscal year, a copy of the budget shall be electronically transmitted in a Portable Document Format (PDF) file to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and posted on the website as soon as practicable.
  • A copy of the Local Units of Administration (LUA) audit to be electronically transmitted to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and posted on the website as soon as practicable.


To submit documents to CVIOG, set up a user account by visiting the CVIOG Portal login page. Once a school’s user account is established, your school will be able to submit its required documentation.


You can create an account to submit documents through the DOAA Portal.


FY24 AUDITS DUE TO THE SCSC


By now all schools have selected an auditor using the SCSC’s Approved Auditor Program to audit their financials from FY 2024 (2023-2024 school year). Audits are due to the SCSC November 1, 2024. Last year all schools except for one submitted on time. Let’s make it 100% this year!

DE46 FINANCIALS AND BUDGET


DE46- Financial and Budget submissions:

  1. FY24 Financial DE46 final upload with Superintendent sign off due September 30, 2024
  2. FY25 Budget DE46 final upload with Superintendent sign off due October 31, 2024

OTHER FINANCIAL REPORTS


The Georgia Department of Education’s Financial Review page has a lot of information including submission dates for other reports that may apply to state charter schools. Financial Review Division Estimated Dates of Financial-Related Reports


The SCSC is here to support schools. If you have any questions regarding reporting requirements, please contact Carmen Freemire, Senior Director, of Finance, carmen.freemire@scsc.georgia.gov.

Georgia Department of Education Updates & Announcements

GaDOE Assessment Updates

July 2024 Assessment Updates

Summer 2024 Assessment Update for Teachers

For more information and past GaDOE Assessment updates, click here.

2024 Cohort Withdrawal Update Application & Summer Graduate Collection Now Available


The 2024 Cohort Withdrawal Update application and the 2024 Summer Graduate Collection application are now available in the MyGaDOE portal. Both applications must be completed with superintendent sign-off by 4:00 p.m. on August 22.  

 

The Cohort Withdrawal Update application allows districts and/or high schools to make needed withdrawal reason corrections (with appropriate documentation on file) for students in the 2024 cohort to ensure the accuracy of the 2024 4-year cohort graduation rate for each of your high schools. The application also confirms the reassignment of appropriate students with significant cognitive disabilities in this cohort to a future cohort. Please note that it is critical that users read the user guide thoroughly prior to updating information in the application. All cohort issues must be resolved by the close of the application window.  

 

The Summer Graduate Collection application allows the district to provide graduation information for 12th grade students not in the 2024 cohort who were reported with no withdrawal code or were reported as graduated with a Certificate of Attendance or a Special Education diploma in Student Record and graduated between 5/17/24 and 8/16/24. All summer graduation issues must be resolved by the close of the application window.

 

The application webinar recordings and PPTs, as well as the user guides, are available for downloading by going to the MyGaDOE portal > clicking on CCRPI > then choosing CCRPI Resources. 

 

To access the applications, log on to the MyGaDOE portal > click on the CCRPI link > then choose either Cohort Withdrawal Update or Summer Graduates.


For help accessing the portal and with any application functionality issues, please contact the Technology Services-Service Desk team by logging into the MyGaDOE portal, clicking on the Help Desk Portal link, and entering your request there, or call 1-800-869-1011. Contact the GaDOE accountability specialist assigned to assist your district with questions regarding the applications. 

New Elements for Data Collection for SY2024-2025 - Deadline Aug 26


The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has posted for public review the proposed student data element changes for 2024-25. Anyone interested in providing feedback should complete the GaDOE Proposed State Reporting Student Data Element Changes for 2024-25 survey. The survey will close at 5:00 PM on August 26, 2024. Additional information pertaining to student data collection and the state reporting process is available on the data collection pages of Georgia Insights.


If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the Technology Services Service Desk team by logging into the MyGaDOE Portal and clicking on the Help Desk Portal link and entering your request there or by calling 1-800-869-1011.

FINAL PART: Charter Local Education Agencies Webinar Series


GaDOE Office of Federal Programs is providing a webinar series targeting Charter Local Education Agencies (LEA) in their first three years of operation. However, all Charter LEAs are invited to attend. The webinar schedule is available below.


For more information, contact John Wight, john.wight@doe.k12.ga.us.

Register for the Charter LEA Webinar Series Today

Date

Title

Aug 27

Part 4: Preview: Grant Close Out Process – All Federal Grants

Aug 28

Part 4: Preview: Grant Monitoring, CLIP Progress Monitoring, and Planning for FY26

Aug 29

Part 4: Preview: Special Education Reporting Requirements (MOE and Excess Cost)

Professional Learning & Development Opportunity

GCSA Financial Training Courses Offered This Fall


Expand your financial knowledge and skills by ENROLLING TODAY in GCSA's Financial Management Courses! Our courses are tailored to address the unique financial issues facing charter schools. GCSA’s Financial Management Certification Program is offered virtually, consisting of six courses, each divided into two sessions of four hours within the same week. Registration is open to all interested charter school employees and their board members. Attendees can register for individual courses or the entire program.


Scholarships are available for state charter school participants. Learn More.


  • QBE & Budget Development: Monday, Sept. 16 & Wednesday, Sept. 18
  • Policy Development, Implementation & Evaluation: Monday, Sept. 30 & Wednesday, Oct. 2
  • Procurement, Payroll & Compensation: Monday, Oct. 21 & Wednesday, Oct. 23
  • Internal Controls & Effective Financial Oversight: Monday Nov. 18 & Wednesday, Nov. 20
  • Audit Preparation & Best Practices: Tuesday, Dec. 3 & Wednesday, Dec. 4

Georgia RESAs & GaDOE Updates

Every other Wednesday, 9 a.m.

Next Sessions: Aug 7 & Aug 21

Info & Schedule

FY25 Mckinney-Vento Updates

Next Session: Aug 15

Info & Registration

Federal Programs Timely Talks

Monthly, Next Session: Aug 20

Info & Registration

2024 GaDOE Accountability Updates

3rd Wednesday of the month

Next Session: Aug 21

Info & Registration

EIP and REP Technical Assistance Chats

Monthly, Next Session: Aug 14

Info & Registration

FY25 Academy of New Federal Programs Leaders Series

Monthly, Next Session: Aug 16

Info & Registration

Improving Outcomes for Federally Identified Schools Series

May 22 - Dec 11, Next Session: Aug 21

Info & Registration

Additional Resources

GaDoe Community

A private professional networking space to engage with other educators across the state.

Georgia Learns

GA Learns houses more than 100 courses. New courses are added monthly, covering various topics that support professional growth and classroom instruction.

GaConnects

The one-stop-shop site for Georgia educators to access educational resources, GA Standards of Excellence, data dashboards, professional learning and applications.

Funding & Engagement Programs

GaDOE Competitive Grants


Periodically, funding is available for GaDOE to award to districts and schools in the form of competitive grants, solidifying this commitment to Georgia's students. In an effort to streamline communication and create a consistent application process, all competitive grant opportunities can now be accessed below.


GaDOE Grant Opportunities

Paraprofessional to Teacher Reimbursement Grant, Round 2


The Paraprofessional to Teacher Reimbursement Grant, Round 2 is intended to promote recruitment in schools and systems across Ge​orgia by providing financial support to paraprofessionals completing their teaching certification through the Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) program. The State of Georgia is providing a maximum of $3,200,000 to fund this grant opportunity. The Georgia Department of Education will award Georgia LEAs up to $5,000 in reimbursable grants per eligible paraprofessional.


Applications Due:

Sep 15, 11:59 p.m.


Grant Info

Application

Coming Soon: Georgia Outdoor Learning Demonstration (GOLD) Grant


The Georgia Outdoor Learning Demonstration (GOLD) Grant is intended to support the launch, revitalization, or expansion of outdoor learning opportunities for children in all parts of the state. Through an appropriation from the Georgia General Assembly, a maximum of $90,000 will be awarded, ranging from $500 to $5000 per recipient. Georgia LEAs and non-profit organizations providing outdoor learning opportunities to children will be eligible to apply.


Application Due:

Sep 20, 11:59 p.m.


Grant Info

Application

Computer Science Teacher Equipment and Community (CSTEC) Grant


The Computer Science Teacher Equipment and Community (CSTEC) Grant provides support for all students to engage in computer science experiences. This grant offers professional support for instruction, practice, and pedagogy, including the use of physical computing to engage students in computer science education. A maximum of $200,000 will be awarded in grants for the FY25 school year, up to $10,000 per district. Georgia LEAs are eligible to apply.


Applications Due:

Oct 1, 5 p.m.



Grant Info

Application

Teacher Grants for Innovation


Are you a teacher with an innovative project designed to improve learning outcomes and make a measurable impact on your students' lives? Through the Georgia Teachers Initiative, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education is awarding between $500 and $2,500 in Teacher Grants for Innovation to Georgia public school teachers to help bring your creative ideas to life. This grant will remain open, and applications are received on a rolling basis.


Applications for each monthly round are due on the 15th of each month. Winners are announced on the 15th of the following month.


Grant Info & Application

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The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) is a state-level, independent charter school authorizing entity. The SCSC has the power to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, nonrenew, or terminate state charter school contracts in accordance with Georgia law.

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