Ashford Park Eyes Charter School Option

Transforming  into a charter school or becoming part of a charter school cluster could be an option if the majority of Brookhaven stakeholder expresses its consent, Ashford Park PTA president Diane Allers said Tuesday night.

The charter school option, which allows greater flexibility for some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other DeKalb County Schools in exchange for accountability for producing certain results and its attendance lines, would make Ashford Park and participating schools within the proposed cluster impervious to school redistricting - an option that may not be completely off the table as Dekalb County School District continues to outline its plans in the 20/20 Vision Master Plan.

"We are still in the discovery phase," Allers said at the annual Brookhaven Fields Civic Association meeting. "We'll have a panel discussion, then we'll conduct a survey. You have to have a majority of stakeholders in favor of the charter school before you can apply for the charter," she said.

Allers said depending on the community reaction, the ideal time-line for application and charter approval would take about 18 months.

Allers said one of the benefits to such a plan is the fact that the county would be unable to redraw the school's attendance lines. Though the decision ultimately eluded Brookhaven for immediate upset, Ashford Park was on several initial lists as a possible school up for redistricting. A charter school she said would give administrators greater control over the school's educational curriculum.

Allers said the school's administration is on board, but teachers may have some trepidations about the idea.

"For the teachers, there is more work for them, but there there is always more flexibility," she said of a meeting held with Ashford Park teachers.

Allers said the next step is to host a community which had not been announced. She stressed however, the the plan will only move forward if the community is in favor of the idea.

"This is a community decision," she said.