The Kindezi School has recently been going through a period of uncertainty as to its August, 2009 opening due to a drawn out approval process at the state level.  Our charter petition was approved in May of 2008 by Atlanta Public Schools, but the final authorizing body in Georgia is the State Board of Education (SBOE).  Through a series of recent meetings, the Kindezi staff and board discovered that the SBOE planned to deny the Kindezi charter for opening in 2009.  The grounds for denial were not related to our academic program; rather, they had largely to do with our governance and management structure, which features a teachers cooperative (Teacher Professional Partnership) contracting with the school to assist the administrative staff in making daily managerial decisions.
 
After a recent SBOE meeting, the Kindezi board voted to withdraw our petition from review before the pending denial and immediately begin revisions needed to gain state approval.  After meeting with the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) in the next month to detail proposed changes to our charter petition, we will resubmit through Atlanta Public Schools and then to the DOE in August of this year.  Our final approval at the state level should come at the end of this year, putting us on track to open with certainty in August of 2010.  
 
This development has been a significant setback for the Kindezi community, especially for excited parents and prospective teachers who are ready for The Kindezi School to come to fruition.  However, we want our supporters and community to know that our resolve is strong and that we have every intention of opening a thriving elementary charter school in Southwest Atlanta next year.  Please stay in touch with our progress, and know that we continue to appreciate your collaboration and your support of our vision!