ÐÔÊӽ紫ý

Now approved, the academy will enter into a five-year contract with the state, where its progress will be closely monitored.

“That contract will spell out our accountabilities in three areas specifically: academics, operations and finance,â€� said Judy Taylor, the president of NWGA CharterÐÔÊӽ紫ý board. “We will have specific measurable outcomes we will be required to meet in those three areas in the first through the fifth year.â€�

The road to approval

After submitting a petition to open the charter school at the beginning of the year, the academyÐÔÊӽ紫ý board and founding members traveled to Atlanta in June to complete a series of interviews with the state charter commission staff.

The last year has been dedicated to the application process, but the work began years ago when the founders conceived the idea of a charter school in Cave Spring.

The founders, and later the charter board, spent the past few years putting a plan in motion and garnering community support to achieve their dream of opening the NWGA Charter Academy. All of those years of work have culminated in this recommendation.

“We presented our plan and petition, and it was a solid plan; otherwise, we wouldn’t be recommended for approval,� Taylor said.

The charterÐÔÊӽ紫ý student body

Included in the petition for the charter were the enrollment targets for the next five years, the service areas, and the number of interested parents in the community, among other things.

Since its inception, the academy has been designed to serve students in Floyd County, Polk County and the city of Rome.

The academy has had 290 parents who expressed interest in sending their students to the school. Of the parents who filled out interest forms, 33% were from Polk County, 41% were from Floyd County and 26% were from Rome City Schools.

“We are not targeting any one of the three districts,� Taylor said. “We are just an option for any of those students living in those districts. Parents in all three districts are interested.�

The public charter school will serve students in grades kindergarten through fifth for the first year, with a maximum enrollment of 134 students.

Over the five-year contract with the state, the school will expand, and by the fifth year, itÐÔÊӽ紫ý slated to serve students from kindergarten through ninth grade with an enrollment of 321.

With the high interest from the community, Taylor said they could end up with a waitlist for their first year.

However, she explained that the academy will still only serve a small portion of the community. It isn’t a threat to the other schools in the area, she said.

“We’re gonna be small,� Taylor said. “We will not lead to the shutdown of any of the districts.�

If the charter is approved as expected Wednesday, Taylor said the following year will be spent setting up the school and preparing for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Now the work begins,� she said. “As soon as we’re authorized, we start doing all of those things in a timely manner according to this preopening checklist schedule.�