7 Pillars Charter Obtains Support from Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS)
This response is being shared in light of comments made during Public Participation about CCPS in relation to 7 Pillars Charter at the August 5th Board of Education Meeting. To be clear, CCPS is working diligently and transparently to support 7 Pillars as a locally authorized Charter School. In an effort to keep our community accurately informed, a recent cash flow issue at 7 Pillars Charter School that could have delayed its opening has been resolved with the assistance of CCPS. According to 7 Pillars, which shared the cash flow concern with the Superintendent and Board Chair on July 29, the cash flow issue was caused by the delay of the receipt of a School Code from the Georgia Department of Education.
“We accepted responsibility in this matter without hesitation in order to quickly work towards a solution, although it was later determined that the school district submitted the necessary information in a timely manner but did not receive the needed response in a timely manner,” said Dr. Morcease J. Beasley, CCPS Superintendent/CEO. “Once the district was made aware of this cash flow issue, it moved swiftly to support 7 Pillars as we want them to have a very successful opening of the 2019-2020 school year.”
CCPS has provided 7 Pillars with almost $300,000 in forward funding to help the charter school to successfully open on time. This amount includes forward funding for the first two months of the fiscal year and a no-interest loan of $70,000 to be paid back in equal installments over the next 11 months. “The Board of Education and the school district’s intention from the very beginning has been to be as supportive as possible to the 7 Pillars team,” said Dr. Beasley.
“In addition to the forward funding, we have worked diligently to accommodate 7 Pillars in the areas of transportation, technology, school choice, communications, inter-departmental mail, professional learning and more,” he added. “It is this Administration’s core belief that we provide uncompromising support and uplift to our Charter Schools. We fundamentally believe that we are one family and that we should treat others the way we wish to be treated. We will continue to enhance and strengthen this support as needed during the 2019-2020 school year.”
“The 7 Pillars Charter School is the first charter school to receive this superintendent’s recommendation for approval by the Clayton County Board of Education, an approval that the Board granted,” Dr. Beasley stated. “We are committed to supporting 7 Pillars and desire a very amicable and supportive relationship as we see all the children of Clayton County as our children.”
“Again, we are here to support 7 Pillars -- we believe that we have demonstrated that support. Has there been issues? Of course. However, when we are informed and made aware of issues, we have been and will be nothing but responsive and solutions-oriented. We sincerely hope that our community and its leaders believe, know, agree, and share that we have been supportive of and responsive to 7 Pillars as we have every intention of fulfilling our commitment to all children in Clayton County,” he concluded.
Dr. Beasley
“Again, we are here to support 7 Pillars -- we believe that we have demonstrated that support. Has there been issues? Of course. However, when we are informed and made aware of issues, we have been and will be nothing but responsive and solutions-oriented. We sincerely hope that our community and its leaders believe, know, agree, and share that we have been supportive of and responsive to 7 Pillars as we have every intention of fulfilling our commitment to all children in Clayton County,” he concluded.
Dr. Beasley
