December 20, 2023 

A Joint Statement from the Greene County Board of Education and Lake Oconee Academy Board of Governors

Greene County BOE and LOA BOG agree on 5-year charter renewal for LOA 

Greensboro, Ga. – The Greene County Board of Education and the Lake Oconee Academy Board of Governors have fully approved and submitted to the Georgia Department of Education a 5-year charter renewal for Lake Oconee Academy. The new charter, which will begin in July 2024, is expected to be approved by the Georgia State Board of Education in early spring.

“We are excited to have completed the local charter approval and greatly appreciate the collaboration and coordination that characterized this charter drafting process,” Superintendent Dr. Chris Houston and LOA Executive Director Dr. Brad Bowling jointly stated. “Months of work went into this document on both sides, and we believe it has resulted in a clear charter contract that addresses LOA’s current and future needs and is in the best interest of all students. We look forward to the next chapter in this partnership.”

The new charter allows LOA to increase enrollment up to 1,144 students, along with a provision to allow the school to eventually exceed the enrollment cap by up to 10 students in the latter years of the charter contract to allow for the enrollment of full-time employees’ children, a valuable recruiting tool for attracting highly-qualified staff. The new charter also includes an opportunity for the District to fund construction of a new middle school facility—which could allow for future enrollment growth—to replace the 8-year-old modular buildings that currently house its middle school program, and $2.5 million in ESPLOST over the next 5 years.

“We commend Dr. Houston and Dr. Bowling for their months of hard work on this charter contract and their joint efforts to create a sound document established on a basis of shared understanding,” said BOE Chairman Dr. Perry Lee and LOA BOG Chairman Michael Tompkins. “Their diligent work throughout this process, along with the consistent support, analysis, and cooperation of both boards, provides the community with a clear direction moving forward and will allow us all to focus on providing the best education possible to the students of Greene County.