Charter School One Step Closer
Posted by Melissa McIntire on December 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Supporters of the proposed charter school for Kent County are hoping that students currently being home schooled or enrolled in private school will come back to the public school system once they begin classes.
It’s a few years off, but The Two Rivers Charter School is drawing a lot of interest. Parents, educators, school board members, and the superintendent packed into the Board of Education meeting room last Thursday to hear a presentation about Two Rivers.
Public charter schools, which are part of the public school system, are run by a group of founders – parents, educators and community leaders – giving them more flexibility about the school’s budget, staff, curriculum and teaching methods. Despite these freedoms, charter schools still have to meet all the academic and testing requirements of the public school system.
“Everything that is in the school’s charter has to be met … if something is not met the charter can be pulled and the school can be closed,” said Josh Tull, a charter school group member. “In that way they’re a lot more accountable than public schools.”
Along with the budget and curriculum, the charter also has to outline the school’s discipline policy, transportation, meals and other policies that go into running a school.
Funding does come from the public school system.
“The first criticism you’ll hear about charter schools is that they pull money out of the public school system and that is a misconception because charter schools are part of the public school system. Charter schools can tap into federal grants that are not available to private or public schools,” said group member Gibson Anthony.
“It’s not taking away from the existing system but actually adding to it. What we’re hoping is to harness resources outside of public school venue for funding.”
Even though Two Rivers is two to three years from opening doors, by some estimates, the group already has an idea of what age groups will be served and what the curriculum will be.
According to a PowerPoint presentation and a handout passed out at the meeting, Two Rivers will be kindergarten through 8th grade.
The curriculum will “focus on sustainable environment and the community, students will learn academics and life skills using a variety of methods including: a multi-sensory approach to teaching, group problem solving skills, outdoor education, small class sizes and involvement in the greater Eastern Shore community.” Students will be chosen by an application process and, if there is a waiting list, a lottery.
The next step for Two Rivers is gathering more information and beginning the process of writing a charter for the Board of Education’s approval.
“To actually get to the point of writing a charter there are still months and months of work ahead of us,” said Susan Newton Rhodes. She encouraged any parents who are interested in the charter school, or who think they might be able to help in the planning process, to e-mail info@kentcharterschoolstudy.org.
In the meantime, she said, Two Rivers will continue to meet and have public meetings on a quarterly basis to inform parents and the community of its progress.
