Board votes not to renew 2 schools’ charters

Officials: RISE Prep, RISE Grammar not in compliance.

ulton County school board members voted unanimously late Thursday against renewing the charters of two schools, despite appeals from scores of parents and others.

District officials said RISE Grammar and RISE Prep failed to comply with multiple terms of their three-year charters, which expire this summer. The schools, in East Point, operated from kinder- garten through the eighth grade. Combined, they have about 800 students.

Fulton officials said they will work with families who want to enroll their children in traditional district schools. In Georgia, charter schools operate independently under the authority of the state or, as in this case, of a school district.

“The Fulton County Board of Education felt that it was in the best interests of all students to end our charter with school administrators that were not in compliance with multiple areas and not providing substantial edu- cational benefits beyond those of traditional schools,” school board Chairwoman Kimberly Dove said after the votes. “We have great compassion for the transition that this will cause for some families.”

For the past two years, the RISE schools failed to meet academic targets in their charters, which require them to produce ever higher scores on state-standardized tests — the Georgia Milestones — or outscore the county average, or at least the average of a few nearby schools.

RISE parents and supporters countered that the schools were on an upward trajectory before the COVID19 pandemic began. They noted that the Ge o rgia Department of Education got the federal government to waive the use of test scores to hold traditional schools accountable during the pandemic.

Parents have rallied to support the schools in recent weeks with efforts that included an online petition with nearly 1,300 signatures.

RISE board members said in a statement Friday they are disappointed in the decision.

“Our students are showing positive growth and improvement on nationally-norm referenced assessments and internal benchmarks,” they said.

The statement added they will apply to become a state commissioned charter school.

“If we are unsuccessful in those efforts, we will work with our families to find the best alternative school options for our students,” the statement