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Oglethorpe Charter reports math gains, fewer discipline referrals after staffing change
Summary
At an April 9, 2025 informal meeting of the Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Public Education, an Oglethorpe Charter Schools representative reported improved math performance, recognition by the state, a sharp drop in discipline referrals and steady finances tied to administrative restructuring and PBIS.
Oglethorpe Charter Schools reported improved math outcomes, higher student engagement and a sharp decline in disciplinary referrals during an April 9, 2025 presentation to the Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Public Education (informational only; no votes taken).
The school leader said Oglethorpe was “one of 11 schools” honored by the state for its algebra results and highlighted that ninth‑grade math classes performed especially well. The presenter also noted the school is “one of two schools” designated an NOAA Ocean Guardian School because of its marine science program.
School officials gave enrollment and operations figures: 149 sixth graders, 151 seventh graders and 251 eighth graders; a 92.9% attendance rate; a special education caseload of 52 students; and a reported 84% drop in referrals in 2025 compared with 2024. The presenter attributed the drop in referrals primarily to an administrative restructuring that assigned an assistant principal to each teaching team and to expanded positive‑behavior supports (PBIS).
Board members asked about classroom structure and staffing. The presenter described a model of four teaching teams, each with two math and two language‑arts teachers plus science and social studies, and said classes moved to a block schedule with double blocks in math and ELA to allow deeper instruction. On staffing and teacher development, the presenter said the school uses Title II (2E2A) funds to support teachers’ coursework to obtain gifted endorsements.
On finances, the school reported a reserve balance of $3,000,000 and said it had 24 consecutive years of clean financial audits with no material findings. The presenter said the school continues to “max out our FTE funding every year.”
Board members praised Oglethorpe’s extracurricular and leadership programs and its decision to maintain related arts and band while using some related‑arts slots for required remediation when needed. Questions from trustees focused on the looping model (a cohort of teachers that stays with the same students from sixth through eighth grade), workload distribution for teachers, and whether the new instructional staffing approach would be sustainable.
The presentation concluded with an invitation for questions; no formal board action was requested or taken at the informational meeting.
