BENTONVILLE -- Haas Hall Academy has found a site in Bentonville for the second school it hopes to open in time for the 2015-16 school year, according to a letter submitted to the state Department of Education.
Martin Schoppmeyer, Haas Hall's superintendent and founder, submitted the letter of intent last week to apply for a charter school license for a school in Bentonville to serve up to 500 students in grades seven through 12.
At A Glance
Charter Schools
There are 35 charter schools in Arkansas, including five in Benton and Washington counties. They include:
• Benton County School of the Arts, Rogers
• Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
• Lincoln New Tech High School, Lincoln
• New Tech High School, Rogers
• Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, Bentonville
Source: Staff Report
Schoppmeyer stated in the letter he has zeroed in on a facility on Southeast Walton Boulevard for the school, but didn't specify where. He didn't return messages seeking comment Thursday.
"The location has traffic signals and an access road for efficient and safe traffic management to and from the facility," his letter stated.
Haas Hall is a charter school that serves 320 students in grades eight through 12. It opened in 2004 in Farmington before moving to North College Avenue in Fayetteville.
Since then it has garnered impressive accolades, including best public high school in Arkansas for the past three years, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Haas Hall Bentonville will provide its students -- which the school refers to as scholars -- with the same accelerated, college-preparatory program offered in Fayetteville, Schoppmeyer wrote in his letter.
Michael Poore, Bentonville schools superintendent, mentioned Haas Hall's letter during Monday's School Board meeting. The proposed enrollment cap of 500, Poore said, is higher than what Haas Hall initially shared with him earlier this year.
"And the grade levels they're serving, 7 to 12, are different from what they shared with me in a meeting," Poore said.
When he discussed his plans with NWA Media in April, Schoppmeyer said he envisioned the second Haas Hall having about 300 students.
In order to get its Bentonville school open by August 2015, Haas Hall must file its application with the Department of Education by July 21. The state's Charter Authorizing Panel will consider all charter school applications and decide whether to approve them by November.
Charter schools are public schools free from some rules traditional public schools must follow; in return, they're expected to show good results and provide models for improvement in education.
There are 35 charter schools in Arkansas. There are nearly 6,500 charter schools nationwide enrolling more than 2 million students, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
During Monday's board meeting, Poore noted the increasing popularity of charter schools, something the district "needs to be aware of and be competitive with," he said.
Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, a charter school that opened in Bentonville last year for grades kindergarten through eight, plans to add one grade each year until it has a 12th grade. It will have space for 540 students this fall.
Private high school options exist within the district as well, including Ambassadors for Christ Academy in Bentonville and Life Way Christian School in Centerton.
NW News on 05/23/2014