BENTONVILLE -- Haas Hall Academy has received hundreds of applications from potential students for the Bentonville school it plans to open next fall, founder and superintendent Martin Schoppmeyer said.
Hundreds have applied for faculty positions as well.
At A Glance
Benton County Charter Schools
Haas Hall Bentonville will be one of five charter schools in Benton County when it opens next fall. Other charter schools in the county include:
• Arkansas Arts Academy (Rogers)
• Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy (Bentonville)
• Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy
• Rogers New Technology High School
Source: Staff Report
"We're getting phone calls every day about Haas Hall Bentonville," Schoppmeyer said.
Haas Hall is an open-enrollment charter school in Fayetteville for students in grades eight through 12. It has been rated the best high school in Arkansas by U.S. News & World Report for three straight years. The school focuses on preparing students for college.
Schoppmeyer applied this year for permission to open a Bentonville campus starting next school year. The state Board of Education approved the application by a 7-1 vote on Nov. 13.
The Bentonville school was approved to serve up to 500 students in grades seven through 12, but Schoppmeyer said it will open with no more than 320 students. That's the maximum the school's facility will hold.
The school will occupy a 20,000 square-foot building under construction at 2600 S.E. J St., about half a mile south of Bentonville High School. Haas Hall has signed a three-year lease on the building with an option for two additional years. The school will pay the owners $41,667 per month.
The property is owned by Bill McClard, Buddy Sherman and Ivan Crossland of J Street Warehouse LLC. Crossland Construction is building the facility.
The shell of the building is complete. Within a few months the build-out of the facility will begin, said Joi Swanson, business development manager for Crossland Construction.
"We're moving forward as planned," Swanson said. "Our goal is to be finished in June."
Schoppmeyer said it's a temporary location for the school.
"It doesn't have room to grow on that piece of land," he said.
Schoppmeyer expects to need between 22 and 24 faculty members. The deadline for faculty applications is Jan. 16.
"I'm getting a lot of out-of-state people," he said. "We're getting some incredible applicants. It's going to be interesting to go through all of the applications."
Haas Hall often receives hundreds more applications for student slots than it can accommodate. Admission, like at other open-enrollment charter schools, is based on a lottery system when applications exceed available slots.
Schoppmeyer expects to hold a lottery for the Bentonville and Fayetteville schools in February. Anyone living in the state is eligible to attend.
"For faculty and scholar recruitment I use a lot of social media. I will take out some ads in (the newspaper). We will try our best to get our name out there," Schoppmeyer said.
Charter schools are public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools, according to the Arkansas Department of Education. Charters are granted for a period of up to five years; after that, the state Board of Education may renew the school's contract.
The Walton Family Foundation supports open-enrollment charter schools in Arkansas with start-up grants of $250,000 for each school successfully authorized and vetted by foundation staff, according to a letter submitted to the state this year by Kathy Smith, senior program officer with the foundation's Education Reform Initiative.
Smith endorsed Haas Hall's application to open the Bentonville school in a letter this summer to Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Tony Wood.
"As you know, the foundation has already made investments in Haas Hall charter school, and feels that their current application for a Benton County campus will be equally strong," Smith wrote.
State Board of Education member Alice Mahony of El Dorado was the only board member who voted against Haas Hall Bentonville's application. Mahony expressed concerns about the school's diversity.
According to state data, 82 percent of Haas Hall's students are classified as white. Seven percent are Asian, 6 percent are Hispanic and 3 percent are black.
NW News on 12/28/2014