Board denies two start‑up charter petitions, citing gaps in operational readiness and special‑education supports

The Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Public Education voted June 3 to deny two startup charter petitions — Nexus Academy and Harmony Oaks — after the district’s charter review panel concluded the applications lacked consistent readiness across required domains.

Staff presented the panel’s findings in open session and recommended denial of both petitions. The panel said each petition showed strengths in mission and vision but did not provide sufficient evidence of organizational leadership and implementation capacity, financial and operational alignment, governance structure and adequate support plans for special education populations.

For Nexus Academy, the petition projected serving about 360 students K–8 within five years; reviewers said operational planning, special‑education services and overall capacity were principal areas of concern. For Harmony Oaks, projected to serve about 228 students K–8 in its first year, the panel flagged gaps in organizational leadership, operational readiness and financial alignment needed to implement and sustain the model.

The superintendent recommended denial of both petitions. The board moved, seconded and approved the superintendent’s recommendations during the meeting. Board members who spoke in favor of applying a rubric noted that alignment to state law and state board rules drove the district’s evaluation process and that the goal is to ensure any approved charter can open successfully and sustain operations.

Next steps for petitioners typically include addressing the panel’s identified gaps and resubmitting in a future petition cycle; the board did not set any further administrative conditions at the public meeting.