In June 2022, The Museum School received renewal of its charter by the DeKalb County Board of Education and the Georgia Department of Education for another five year term through 2027.
To review our charter, feel free to download or view this document:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does The Museum School of Avondale Estates have a charter?
The founders of the Museum School of Avondale Estates – a group of dedicated parents and community members – wanted to build a school with the flexibility to implement an innovative curriculum model – The Museum Model. In order to achieve this goal, the school entered into a charter agreement with the DeKalb County Board of Education and the State Department of Education. The contract between these entities – our charter – outlines our autonomy, accountability and agreements.
How often does the charter need to be renewed?
Every five years.
What is the current status of our charter?
As a charter school, we must be approved by a local authorizer AND the state Board of Education. In June 2022, the DeKalb Board of Education and the Georgia State Board of Education voted to approve our charter for another five-year term. With these two votes, our charter has been renewed through June 30, 2027.
How did the TMS Board of Directors work to meet all the charter renewal requirements?
The Board placed the highest priority possible in gaining the school’s charter renewal. The Board and its Charter Renewal Committee spent two years completing all the necessary requirements by the district and the state to ensure that our charter would be renewed.
What is changing in the new charter?
Many of the school’s academic, organizational and financial goals remain the same – including our proven and successful museum school and project-based academic model.
We will also continue to honor sibling, staff and board member preferences in future student lotteries.
Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, however, The Museum School will no longer use a tiered attendance zone. The Museum School’s attendance zone, as in years past, is all of the DeKalb County school district.
Why is a weighted lottery necessary?
As The Museum School strives to reflect the communities in which it serves, a weighted lottery is one tool the school uses to achieve its student diversity goals and provide an increased chance of admission to economically disadvantaged students.
The Museum School is legally allowed to give an extra weight in the admissions lottery to students who are economically disadvantaged, as defined by law. The Georgia Department of Education defines economically disadvantaged as a student whose family lives below the poverty line, qualifies for free or reduced lunch, or whose family qualifies for federal benefits, including SNAP, TANF, WIC, Medicaid or PINS.
How is the weighted lottery implemented?
In accordance with OCGA 20-2-2066(a)(1)(A), the school utilizes a weighted lottery to provide an increased chance of admission to economically disadvantaged students. To facilitate the weighted lottery, applicants can indicate their “economically disadvantaged” status on the admissions application and such status will be verified as part of the registration process. The weight for economically disadvantaged students will be calculated annually by The Museum School Board of Directors.
Where can the full charter petition be viewed?
A copy of the current petition is available HERE.
Who can I contact for more information about The Museum School’s charter?
Questions can be directed to Kelly Swinks, Chair, Board of Directors, The Museum School of Avondale Estates at: [email protected].