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Letter of intent filed for Thornhill Preparatory Academy; district staff will review application
Summary
District staff confirmed receipt of a letter of intent from Dansella Watts to open Thornhill Preparatory Academy for the 2026–27 year; staff will review the application and return a recommendation to the board.
The Douglas County School System received a letter of intent from Dansella Watts seeking to open Thornhill Preparatory Academy for the 2026–27 school year, district staff told the Board of Education on Jan. 13, 2025.
Chelsea Goodman, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said the letter of intent was submitted and that the item was for information only; the application and legal review process will be handled by staff and returned to the board for consideration on Jan. 21. Goodman said staff will perform the required legal review and coordinate with district stakeholders before making a recommendation on whether the application meets statutory requirements.
Location and recruitment questions
Board members asked why an applicant seeking a South Cobb region location would apply to draw students from Douglas County. Staff said some charter applicants base a campus outside the county but seek to recruit students from Douglas County; staff said that pattern had occurred in prior applications and that they will evaluate the proposal’s footprint, recruitment plan and legal compliance during the review.
Next steps
The letter of intent and application will be reviewed and a recommendation returned to the board for formal consideration. No action was taken at the Jan. 13 meeting.
