An education policy lawyer is among the members of the reconstituted State Charter School Commission.

The State Board of Education on Jan. 18 appointed seven commissioners, including Jennifer Rippner, who was nominated by Governor Nathan Deal earlier this month.

An amendment to the state Constitution approved by voters last year gave the commission power to authorize charter schools even if they were denied by local school districts. The constitutional amendment overrode the state Supreme Court decision in 2011 that found the original charter school commission was unconstitutional.

Rippner chaired the previous commission. She now is a consultant for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and is working on her Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Georgia.

Prior to working for the national association, Rippner was a senior policy and legal advisor at Education Counsel LLC, which is affiliated with Nelson Mullins. She also has been education policy advisor to Governor Sonny Perdue, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, charter schools program manager for the Georgia Department of Education and director of the Charter School Accountability Center at Florida State University.

Rippner earned her law degree from the University of Florida and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2010.

The other six commission members are:

-Charles Knapp, an economist and educator nominated by the governor;
-Tony Lowden, executive director of STONE Academy nominated by the governor;
-Tom Lewis, senior vice president for External Affairs at Georgia State University nominated by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.
- Paul Williams, chief financial officer of Brickstream Corporation nominated by the lieutenant governor.
- Jose Perez, president of Target Market Trends Inc. nominated by Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston.
-James Hogg, a 30-year educator and administrator nominated by the House speaker.

Kathleen Baydala Joyner

Contributor: Kathleen Baydala Joyner in Legal Community, State Charter School Commission | subscribe to rss |   share