January 11, 2019
State Charter Schools Commission Announces Leadership Change
ATLANTA - The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) announced today that Executive Director Dr. Bonnie Holliday will join the Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) as Executive Vice President for Policy and External Relations beginning January 14. Holliday has served as SCSC Executive Director since the agency’s inception in 2013.
“My fellow commissioners and I would like to thank Dr. Holliday for her years of leadership at the SCSC,“ said SCSC Chairman Tom Lewis. “Under her guidance, the SCSC has established itself as a beacon of hope for thousands of Georgia families seeking educational options. She has shepherded the growth of dozens of charter schools, always prioritizing quality and doing what is best for Georgia’s students. We are grateful for the strong foundation built by Dr. Holliday and that she will continue to use her voice for Georgia’s students. We wish her the best as she begins her new role at GCSA.”
During Holliday’s tenure, the SCSC approved 35 state charter schools serving approximately 32,000 students across the state of Georgia. Under her direction, the SCSC moved to a new school review system. The new framework provides a more accurate depiction of how charter schools are serving students by taking different types of student performance such as proficiency and growth into consideration. She also saw state charter performance improve in her time as Executive Director; more than 50 percent of state charter schools are now academically outperforming their comparison districts.
“I am leaving one great organization and joining another,“ said SCSC Executive Director Dr. Bonnie Holliday. “While I’ll miss working directly with state charter schools on a regular basis, I look forward to supporting charters in a new way. I’m excited to join the GCSA team, and I’m confident the SCSC staff and commissioners will continue doing great work long after I’m gone.”
In her new role, Holliday will lead public policy efforts at GCSA, Georgia’s charter school membership organization that advocates for, fosters and support autonomous, high-quality charter schools and networks throughout the state. Holliday will serve as a subject matter legislative and policy expert on school choice, and she will support key stakeholders in the development and implementation of policy that positively impacts charter schools across the state.
“We are thrilled to add Dr. Holliday to the GCSA team,” said Dr. Tony Roberts, President and CEO of Georgia Charter Schools Association. “Her primary work will be development and implementation of effective legislation and policies on behalf of charter schools. She will also manage our external relationships with partner and government entities to ensure alignment on GCSA goals and initiatives. She will be a key resource and partner to our member charter schools throughout the state.”
Before leading the SCSC, Holliday served as Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. Holliday has served on the state’s Children’s Cabinet and as an executive cabinet member on Governor Deal’s Education Reform Commission in 2015. Holliday received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Georgia, and her dissertation research focused on charter school coalition building throughout the state. She taught English and served as the AP coordinator at a public high school in rural Northeast Georgia prior to returning to graduate school.
SCSC Deputy Director and General Counsel Gregg Stevens will serve as Interim Executive Director until SCSC commissioners appoint a new Executive Director.
The SCSC is a state-level, independent charter school authorizing entity. The mission of the SCSC is to improve public education by authorizing high quality charter schools that provide students with better educational opportunities than they would otherwise receive in traditional district schools. The SCSC has the power to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, non-renew, or terminate state charter school petitions in accordance with Georgia law.
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