Georgia law endangers Moultrie charter school

Oct. 28—MOULTRIE, Ga. — A law passed by the Georgia General Assembly last year endangers funding for state-sponsored charter schools, including one that serves students in Colquitt County.

Senate Bill (SB) 153, also known as the Graduation Opportunities and Advanced Learning Act, was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 4, 2021, with an effective date of July 1, 2021.

Richard Rentz, the superintendent of Coastal Plains Education Charter High School, which serves 181 students at its Moultrie site, said school officials approved of the bill when it was proposed in the state Senate, but changes made in the House of Representatives will abolish the school's charter and alter its state funding in June 2023.

School officials hope the legislature will change the law before that happens, and they have some legislative support.

Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston, speaking to the Blue Ridge, Ga., News Observer for an earlier story, said he had concerns about the bill as passed.

"I am fully committed to doing what it takes to keep the program going...We can't walk away from these kids," Ralston told his hometown paper.

SB 153 was sponsored by three legislators including Georgia Sens. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, and Greg Dolezal, R-Alpharetta, and Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton. The bill's supporters said they intended to reexamine funding across the board and address concerns of over-funding or under-funding.

Tillery was quoted in The Northeast Georgian stating, "We're trying to make sure we are funding fairly. We fund high school at a different level than we do elementary level. We fund special ed at a different level than we do gifted. [We were] trying to make sure that was [proportionate] across the whole field."

He said SB 153's purpose was to ensure charter schools were receiving the correct portion of state funding per student.

Coastal Plains Education Charter High School opened in 2017. It's one of three state special charter schools funded and operated under a contract with the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia

Since its initial charter, Coastal Plains has opened facilities on 15 campuses serving 1,900 students in 42 counties through partnerships with local school districts. In Moultrie, it operates an evening school at Colquitt County High School that serves 181 students from 13 area counties.

Rentz told The Observer on Wednesday the original version of SB 153 appropriately cut some funding for the school.

"It really didn't impact us except for cutting some funding out which we had encouraged that, and I say we had encouraged that [because] we don't have facilities. We partner with all our school districts, and we use their classrooms and their schools. So we said, 'We don't need all this money that you're sending,'" Rentz explained.

The bill also moved Coastal Plains Education Charter High School under the Georgia Department of Education operations instead of the current State Charter School Commission. The schools approved this change.

"Then, when the bill went to the house is when it changed dramatically," he said. "[Now], we have to have an authorizer or school systems have to sign an inter-governmental agreement with us, and they're accountable for the students. We're no longer accountable, and [they'll] oversee all their test scores, graduation — all that falls under that school system."

The school currently receives Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding from the state, federal funding and State Charter School Supplement funding.

The State Charter School Supplement funding represents over 50% of the school's funding and covers salaries, support staff and technology. With SB 153, the schools will be stripped of that supplement. It's uncertain how the federal funding will be impacted as the students move under the umbrella of the local school systems, potentially leaving the school with only the QBE portion of its budget.

"All we're asking is we need some funding from the state," Rentz said. "It doesn't have to be what we were getting prior, but just something to help sustain us over time. In other words, we can't make it just on QBE alone, over a long period of time."

Coastal Plains Education Charter High School would be considered an alternative school if it was able to enter an agreement with a local school district.

"We are not a punitive school. [Students] aren't placed in our school because of their discipline," Rentz said.

Coastal Plains students are enrolled in different education levels such as gifted, special education, dual enrollment or career academies. The school is looking to grow and already has seven systems within the Southwest region that approve its expansion.

"We've had 831 graduates, and we would have more sites at this time. However, the state charter school commission stopped our growth two years ago," he said.

Rentz concluded, "We just want to make sure that our kids are successful once they leave us, and [that] they have a pathway forward. We have had a lot of support from the State Board of Education. Your legislators there in that area are very supportive, so hopefully, we can make some progress to that. I would hate for us to have to close our doors at the end of this [charter]."

The Colquitt County School District shared a statement Thursday morning regarding potential changes.

"The Coastal Plains superintendent will present at RESA next week to the area superintendents about their charter status. At this time, Colquitt County School District has not made any decisions or plans, but will be evaluating all options for assisting any affected students should there be a change in their ability to provide an alternate high school path," Chief Communications Officer Angela Hobby said in an email conversation.

To learn more about Coastal Plains Education Charter High School, please refer to www.coastalplainscharter.org.