Marietta City School Board Chair Randy Weiner said he’s thrilled that the state education department has approved the district’s 10-year charter status petition.

“We put forward a strong application with aggressive goals to achieve for the next 10 years,” Weiner said. “Through expanded innovation and our incredibly hard working and highly trained teachers, we should be able to meet those goals.”

The Georgia Board of Education approved the Marietta City Schools’ petition on Feb. 20.

This is the second charter system petition for which Marietta has been approved. Marietta first applied for its current five-year charter — which expires in June — in 2008.

Marietta Superintendent Emily Lembeck said the district believes a renewal creates a framework for more innovation to emerge.

“We are now poised to move to a deeper level of effective innovation, building on the strength of our success as one of Georgia’s initial charter systems and the strong support of all stakeholders in our community,” she said.

The district originally submitted its five-year charter system petition in October but later changed that when they learned in early February that the state would allow them to apply for a 10-year renewal.

In applying for renewal of the status, Marietta City Schools is asking for more flexibility with instruction and personnel.

It would allow the district to:

* Increase the number of students exceeding standards; waive seat time;

* Implement school governance teams made up of parents, staff and community members;

* Eliminate student early-release days; and

* Reduce the number of instructional days, if needed.