Fulton County School Board Approves 5-Year Charter Renewal for Amana Academy

At the January meeting of the Fulton County School Board, board members unanimously approved Amana Academy’s charter renewal petition for a 5th 5-year term.  In the recommendation presented by Charter Schools Coordinator Andrea Cooper Gatewood, Amana was recognized for being the only GADOE STEM-certified middle school in Fulton County, for consistently outperforming FCS and the state on the Georgia Milestones Assessment, for the fact that 90% of our 3rd graders are reading on grade level or above, and for being a Title I Distinguished School for the 3rd year in a row, among others.

At the Board work session in December, when the charter petition was first presented for consideration, Board Member Katha Stewart said, “I just want to encourage my fellow Board members to go see Amana.  You will be very impressed.  I know you’ve visited a lot of our other schools, but Amana is certainly a shining star amongst our charter schools.”

Several weeks after approving the charter petition, members of the School Board and FCS Cabinet members visited the school to learn more about Amana’s unique program.  Board Members Katha Stewart, Lillie Pozatek, Katie Gregory, Kristin McCabe and Michelle Morancie joined Superintendent Mike Looney, FCS Chief of Staff Cliff Jones, and Charter Schools Coordinator Andrea Cooper Gatewood for a tour and Q&A with staff and students.