Fulton County Schools announces charter system renewal

Fulton County Schools officials said the district has received a three-year extension to its charter system contract.

Superintendent Jeff Rose made the announcement Tuesday night during a State of Our Schools event, held at the Atlanta History Center.

District officials said in a release that the district has received more flexibility in operations and increased innovation in its instructional and school management practices during the five-year implementation period. Officials also touted increased parent and community engagement in the charter system transition.

The district was approved as the state’s largest charter system in 2012.

“Five years ago our school board had the courage to say that the status quo wasn’t good enough for our school system and that the charter system model was an innovative way to drive improvement,” Rose said in the release. “This extension allows our district to continue the good work permitted by the flexibility of the charter system.”

The extension was approved this month by the Georgia Department of Education after previous site visits and interviews with Fulton County Charter System stakeholders, the release stated.

The Fulton County School System is the state’s fourth largest school system, behind Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb, with approximately 96,500 students.