By Kate Alexander
American-Statesman
Any hope that State Board of Education Chairwoman Gail Lowe would usher in a new era of peace and harmony on the board was quashed Friday on the final day of her first three-day meeting.
The full board rolled over a decision by the Committee on School Initiatives to delay awarding the states sole available school charter. Four members of the committee are often dissenting votes on key board decisions.
The charter was given to Koinonia Community Learning Academy in Houston.
The academys proposal was one of seven considered Thursday evening by the committee whose members said they wanted more time to mull the lengthy applications.
Everything can change on Friday" when the full board gets to act on committee decision said Board Member David Bradley R-Beaumont and he said there was no need to wait until September.
But Board Member Geraldine Miller R-Dallas said the move makes it very obvious that there is a power issue here and I resent it."
Miller is not a member of the committee.
The unexpected decision means that a dual-language charter school proposed for Southeast Austin missed out on the open spot for a new charter school.
The state last year hit its cap of 215 public charter schools and a bill to lift that cap failed to clear the Legislature this past session. That situation set up the stiff competition for the one available charter which was freed up when another school closed.
