The Kindezi School founders had no option but to delay its opening until 2010. The Georgia Department of Education (DOE) and Board of Education (BOE) had serious concerns about Kindezi's administrative model. The Kindezi School's founders attempted to open Georgia's first Teacher Professional Practice (TPP). The TPP is a model in which teachers who prove themselves and earn "partner" status become peers with the school's principal. They then control their own formally organized teaching practice in the same way lawyers, for example, control their own practice when organized as a partnership. So the TPP model is very empowering to teachers. It is more commonly practiced in Minnesota and Wisconsin—two states that differ from Georgia in terms of legal framework and also political culture. The TPP model led to an incredible number of complications that Atlanta Public Schools was comfortable with but the DOE was not. As a result, we have rewritten and resubmitted our petition.

The Kindezi School's revised petition, that is currently before the Georgia DOE again for review does not have a TPP structure. It is a much simpler document and arguably describes a stronger administrative model. The Kindezi School retains its commitment to democracy and teacher empowerment without the complicating legal documents that are necessary for a formal TPP structure.

We have spoken with the leaders of the DOE Charter Schools Division on several occasions. First, they gave us detailed feedback about how we needed to revise our charter petition in order to be approved. Second, they looked at our revised charter petition and told us that it was what they were looking for. Because we have revised our petition according to DOE feedback, because the DOE and BOE are decidedly pro-charter, and because many there have expressed a sincere desire to see Kindezi succeed, we feel confident that they will approve us this year to open in Fall 2010.

While it was incredibly difficult to tell our teacher applicants and our interested parents that The Kindezi School would have to wait a year, we believe that Kindezi is benefiting from this extra year of planning. Extra time to research, think, and plan can only make Kindezi stronger.