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Politics & Government

Fight for Mableton Charter School Likely to Stir Emotions

The Cobb County Board of Education will vote tonight on whether to renew the charter of Imagine International Academy of Mableton.

If the approximately 250 people that attended , the Cobb County Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. tonight could feature a spirited discussion.

Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s recommendation to the board is not to renew 's charter request that would extend its charter two more years instead of the usual five years.

“I think there will be quite a few people there,” said board member David Morgan, who held the town hall meeting Sept. 15.

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“They will be making the case to have the renewal petition move forward. What I’ve tried to do the whole time is be very clear why I have the position that I have and to reinforce and back up my position with empirical data.”

Morgan’s biggest concern for the school has been its inability to live up to its original charter’s lofty goals of either meeting or exceeding target standards in the second and fifth years of its initial five-year charter. The school was to improve from the previous year at least 5 percentage points and exceed district and state averages.

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Based on Morgan’s research, Imagine Mableton had 63 chances to meet the standards in its charter for reading, language arts and math, and it met only five for a total success rate of seven percent.

At the town hall meeting, a Mableton official said the school's charter was attempted to be changed several times, but the proposals were rejected by the board.

Morgan said he was told by district officials that none of the amendment proposals brought by the charter school were related to student achievement.

“Even if we agree to disagree, I’ve worked hard to communicate and connect to people that my position is very deliberate and thoughtful, and that I’ve been transparent and accessible,” Morgan said. “People are very emotional and passionate about Imagine Mableton, so the kind of response comes with the territory and you have to understand that when you’re in this position.”

If the pointed line of questioning that Imagine Principal Marcus Barber endured from the board when the charter school was discussed recently is any indication, Hinojosa’s recommendation to close the school after the 2011-12 academic year will likely be supported by the board.

Patch could not reach Barber for comment.

Morgan said he didn’t know how the other board members would vote.

“I haven’t had a lot of conversations with my colleagues about it,” he said.

However, board member David Banks of East and Northeast Cobb’s Post 5 told Patch after the Sept. 14 meeting that he may vote in favor of keeping the school open.

“I just feel like that if it’s already in existence and the parents have made the decision to send their child to that charter school, there had to be a compelling reason,” he said. “As a member of the state, as a school board member, should I overrule the decision of a parent to send their child to a charter school?”

At the town hall meeting, Morgan told the audience that he also planned not to support Hinojosa’s recommendation to renew International Academy of Smyrna’s charter. Another Imagine charter in Marietta closed this school year.

The board also will vote on Hinojosa’s recommendation not to support the petitions of a pair of proposed charter schools, STEAM Academy of Cobb and Turning Point Charter Leadership Academy School of Excellence.

In addition to the charter school votes, the board will also vote on three other discussion items:

  • Purchasing 2.1 acres of land for construction of a second entry drive at Bryant Elementary for $169,900 from Ronald Weis and Eagle Lake Inc.
  • Awarding a $4.3 million bid to purchase and install a new “Internet Protocol Based Security Camera and Surveillance System” to LMI Systems from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012.
  • Authorizing purchasing a HRMS/Payroll Solution. The district will announce the winner of the low bid at the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, the board will also recognize:

  • Timber Ridge Elementary for being named a U.S. Dept. of Education 2011 National Blue Ribbon School. Timber Ridge is the 18th school in the district to earn the prestigious designation recognizing the nation’s most successful schools since the program began in 1982.
  • Cobb Public Safety Week from Oct. 3-9.
  • ASCA RAMP Recognition for Campbell and high schools, and Nickajack and Sope Creek elementary schools.

The board plans to convene at 5 p.m. to discuss legislative priorities, something Hinojosa has noted previously that he wanted to emphasize more under his leadership.

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