Public School Choice
Scholarships to attend private schools are not the only types of school choice. Public schools across the nation are increasingly allowing parents to find an educational setting that is best for the student’s unique needs. Since these options are public, there are no out-of-pocket expenses associated with attendance.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment programs allow public school students to attend a public school other than the one they are originally assigned to. Generally, there are four types of open enrollment:
- Mandatory Intradistrict Transfer –This comes from federal law and allows children in chronically underperforming schools to transfer to another school within their school district.
- Mandatory Intradistrict/Mandatory Interdistrict Transfer – This provision allows parents to request a school reassignment for their child if their assigned school does not have permanent classroom space. The mandatory interdistrict transfer allows the parent of a child to request reassignment to a school in another district if that school is closer than their assigned one. Transportation must be provided by the parent or guardian.
- Voluntary Intradistrict Transfer – Voluntary intradistrict transfers can be granted for a number of reasons that vary by school district. If your child’s situation does not fit one of the above scenarios and you are unhappy with your public school experience, please contact your local board of education to see what options you may have for transferring your child to another school in your district.
- Voluntary Interdistrict Transfer –This allows school boards to contract with one another in order to allow students to attend school across district lines. The decision to grant one of these transfers is entirely up to the school boards involved. Specific to Georgia are intra- and interdistrict transfers allowed through the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship. While the program is best know for its private school scholarship component, it also allows students to transfer to any public school able to accommodate that student.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are public schools that operate under the terms of a contract with state and local education officials. In simple terms, charter schools are allowed to receive flexibility from education rules and regulations in return for higher accountability. The terms of this flexibility and accountability are laid out in the contract (or charter). If these measures are not met, the charter school’s contract may be allowed to expire once it ends (typically 5-10 years). This means that the school could be shut down altogether or converted to a traditional public school if goals are not met.
Laws governing charter schools and their formation (or authorization) vary from state to state. Georgia has one of the strongest charter school laws in the nation. There are five types of charter schools in Georgia: - Conversion – These schools are formed when the faculty and parents of an existing traditional public school vote to form a charter school. The petition must then be approved by the local board of education.
- Start-up – This type of charter school is started by private individuals, private organizations, or state and local public entities that operate the school according to the terms of a charter contract between the charter petitioner, local board of education, and the State Board of Education. The school did not exist prior to the petition.
- Local Education Agency (LEA) Start-up -- These charter schools are started by local school districts, also called LEAs, and operate under the terms of a charter between the local petitioner, local school board, and the State Board of Education
- Commission Charter Schools – A new type of charter school, these are approved by the newly formed Georgia Charter School Commission after a petition is denied by a local board of education. The first Commission Charter Schools are expected to be approved in late 2008.
- State Chartered Special School – State chartered special schools operate under the terms of a charter between a petitioner and the State Board of Education. Approval by the State Board only occurs after a petition has been denied by a local board of education.
Magnet Programs
A magnet program is a specialized curriculum that allows academically qualified students to deeply study specific academic disciplines. As public schools, magnet programs must operate under state and local education rules. While some programs operate as part of a traditional public school, there are many instances of entire schools being “magnetized.” Currently, there are 80 magnet programs and schools in Georgia, with nearly all being located near metropolitan areas.
Joint and Dual Enrollment
Joint and dual enrollment programs allow for qualified high school juniors and seniors to receive academic credit at a participating state college, university, or technical school while still in high school. Joint enrollment arrangements allow only for college credit to be earned by the student, while dual enrollment programs allow for academic credits to be awarded for both college and high school. For those driven to succeed in college, this can be a great opportunity to acclimate to post-secondary academics and get a head start in coursework.
Virtual Programs
Virtual education, while currently limited in Georgia, is a viable option some students, including those who face some of the greatest challenges.
Currently, there are two prominent options in virtual education available to Georgia students, the Georgia Virtual Academy and Georgia Virtual School. The Georgia Virtual Academy (GVA) is an online program operated by Odyssey Charter School in Newnan, Georgia. GVA is open to all Georgia students in grades Kindergarten to 8th, free of charge. For more information on charter schools in Georgia, click here.
Students may also enroll in the Georgia Virtual School (GVS), which is operated by the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Technology Services. GVS offers all Georgia middle and high school students the opportunity to take courses online for middle and high school credits. Courses are taught by highly qualified teachers and require similar time commitments as courses at “brick and mortar” schools.