AEA explores possibility of an Avondale Estates charter school
The Avondale Education Association (AEA) recently announced that it is looking for volunteers to join its steering committee to initiate an Avondale Estates charter school.
Founded almost five years ago, the AEA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Avondale Elementary School through volunteerism, fundraising and attendance of neighborhood children. Over the past few years the group has increased community attendance of Avondale Estates students from two to 18; raised more than $20,000, which was donated to the school in the form of mini grants, landscaping, International Baccalaureate training for teachers and other in-kind donations; and increased community volunteerism by more than 80 percent, according to a news release from the association.
“Unfortunately, this was not enough. The AEA is now at a crossroads. Due to conflicts with leadership within the school we have lost three vice principals and have experienced an extremely high turnover of teachers. When this was discussed with county administrators, they reported this is as a ‘normal’ occurrence, but as parents and concerned residents we find this classification of ‘normal’ as unacceptable,” AEA officials stated in the release. “In addition, parents and other community volunteers feel unwelcome at the school and teachers have expressed reluctance to speak to the AEA out of fear of retribution. Our complaints have fallen on deaf ears at the county level and now parents are removing their children from the school and going elsewhere for their educational needs. But we have not given up yet.”
On May 13, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation into law called HB 881. Known as the Charter Commission Legislation, the new law “allows the petitioner to request charter school approval directly from a newly-formed state charter commission if the local board of education rejects the petition, or if the petitioner seeks conditions different from those approved by the local board of education. In addition, it changes the way charter schools are funded by enabling the State Board of Education to establish a grant program to provide matching funds to charter school organizations for capital improvements or construction of charter schools.” AEA officials say they believe the new law gives Avondale Estates “a very good chance of starting its own charter school.”
The co-founders of the AEA, Jill Joyner Bush and Sondra Elek, along with the members of the steering committee are seeking leaders of this new venture, as well as individuals to join the steering committee. For more information, contact Laura Leckband at lleckband@hauswerks.net. |
