Home - THE CHAPEL--"A Beacon of Hope for the Community"

Click here for a copy of the press release related to the upcoming Community Forum to discuss the petitioned Holsey Chapel Academy of Excellence Charter School.
The meeting will be held on Saturday, March 7th at 4:00 p.m. at the Monitor Community Center, Fitzgerald, Georgia. We will have a panel of professionals, administrators, educators, parents, and students sharing their experiences.

The Holsey Chapel Academy of Excellence will operate on three basic principles:

CHOICE: We plan to give families an opportunity to pick the best environment most suitable for their child’s educational well-being. Our teachers will create and work at directly shaping the best working and learning environment for their students and themselves. We are hopeful that the Ben Hill County Board of Education will authorize our school to best serve the specific needs of the students in our community.

ACCOUNTABILITY: The Academy will be judged on how well it meets the student achievement goals established by our charter contract. We will show that we can perform according to operational standards as defined by the Ben Hill County Board of Education.

FREEDOM: While charter schools must adhere to the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are freed from the red tape that often diverts a school’s energy and resources away from educational excellence. Instead of constantly jumping through procedural hoops, charter school leaders can focus on setting and reaching high academic standards for their students.

Charter School 2009 Accountability Report (Georgia) (.PDF format)

PRESS RELEASE--Charter School Public Forum (.PDF format)

PRESS RELEASE: Charter School Public Meeting (.PDF format)

GaDOE Charter School Frequently Asked Questions (.PDF format)

	United States President Barack Obama supports high-quality charter schools. His administration will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools. "This kind of innovative school...is an example of how all our schools should be," President Obama stated after he and Mrs. Obama visited a public charter school in Washington, D.C. President Obama's choice for education secretary, Chicago school chief Arne Duncan, is an unconventional leader willing to find creative solutions to some of public education's oldest dilemmas, including school attendance and dropout rates. Duncan is a strong advocate for charter schools. --U.S. White House (www.whitehouse.gov) and U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov)
	There are over 4,600 charter schools across the country, educating over 1.3 million children. The first charter school was created in Minnesota in 1992, and since then 39 other states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation creating public charter schools. --National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org)
	"NEA believes that charter schools and other nontraditional public school options have the potential to facilitate education reforms and develop new and creative teaching methods that can be replicated in traditional public schools for the benefit of all children." --National Education Association (www.nea.org)
	"Charter schools show what’s possible when educators and students work together in public schools that are built on the principles of school-level autonomy, public school choice, and accountability for performance. They are preparing thousands of children for a better life by building academic skills, instilling character and preparing students for college." --National Association of Charter School Authorizers (www.qualitycharters.org)
	"Charter schools offer the truest form of local control and Georgia will see a genuine paradigm shift as more charter schools advance flexibility, innovation and resourceful teaching. We stand in strong support of these new charter schools and will work to assist them as they pave the way for a new model of education in Georgia." Casey was one of four public servants nationwide to be honored with the 2007 Champions for Charters Award by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. This award is given each year to policymakers who do the most to advance the cause of charter schools. --Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle (www.ltgov.georgia.gov)