Five organizations have submitted applications to the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for charters that, if approved, would establish six new charter schools, beginning in the 2021-22 school year.
The applications for the schools -- proposed for Little Rock, North Little Rock, Springdale, Hot Springs, Harrisburg and Osceola -- are subject to review by the state Charter Authorizing Panel in August and final decisions by the Arkansas Board of Education by early 2021.
Initially, 11 organizations had sent notices to the state agency that they intended to apply for charters for 13 new schools, but not all of those organizations followed through with the detailed applications. That typically happens every year.
Each of the proposed six schools could be approved by state officials without the state exceeding its current cap of 34 open-enrollment charter schools. If each application wins state approval, the total number of open-enrollment charter schools in the state in 2021-22 would be as many as 32.
The state currently has 25 charter schools or charter systems, with one recently approved charter school to open in the coming 2020-21 school year.
Open-enrollment charter schools are taxpayer-supported campuses operated by nonprofit organizations other than traditional public school districts. Planners of charter schools can seek and obtain waivers from some state laws and rules that apply to traditional districts, but then the schools are supposed to be held to a stricter level of accountability for student learning.
Responsive Education Solutions of Lewisville, Texas, is proposing two new schools in Arkansas: Premier High School of Hot Springs and Premier High School of Springdale.
The two schools, which would target students who have dropped out of their traditional high schools or are close to doing so, will join four other Arkansas campuses already operated by Responsive Education Solutions. Those are the Premier high schools in Little Rock and North Little Rock, as well as the Northwest Classical Academy in Bentonville and Quest Academy of West Little Rock, which is a sixth-through-12th-grade school that will convert to the charter organization's classical academy model within the next few years.
Steven Gast, superintendent of the Responsive Education schools in Arkansas, said the Premier model is a school model needed in all different parts of the state.
"The Premier model is so unique and so different," Gast said. "It's one of those few types of schools that doesn't carry a kind of competitive stigma with it. A lot of new charters -- in the eyes of the local public school -- almost become a threat because it looks like they are trying to take kids away from the local school. The whole mission of a Premier is to go after and recover those kids who have already left the system."
The Hot Springs School District had a 71.5% graduation rate in 2019, according to the charter application.
The proposed Premier campuses in Hot Springs and Springdale would each serve up to 300 students in grades nine through 12, featuring extended hours, personalized learning plans, goal-setting, credit recovery, dropout prevention and visits to college campuses. All would be done with a goal of high school graduation.
The proposed Arkansas AgSTEM Academy charter school would be located in Weiner, which is within the Harrisburg School District in northeast Arkansas. The proposal calls for a school that would initially serve students in grades seven through 120.
If approved, the 250-student school will feature individualized academic support, experiential learning, job shadowing and internship experiences in the agricultural industry to promote students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a love of learning and appreciation of hard work. Science, technology, engineering and math -- STEM subjects -- will be emphasized using technology in agriculture. The ASSET Foundation is the sponsoring 501c3 organization, and Greta Greeno is the contact.
The proposed Southwest Innovation Leadership Academy, sponsored by the Life Builders that does business as Bridge 2 Success, would serve as many as 300 pupils in grades six through eight at 3409 Baseline Road in Little Rock.
The school would focus on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math or the STEAM subjects to help students become innovators and leaders in a 21st century workforce. In-school and out-of-school tutoring would be offered. Each student will be assigned a "family advocate" to assess and assist families with meeting needs that are relevant to student achievement.
"Teaching relevant, in-demand skills that will prepare students to become leaders and innovators in an ever-evolving world is paramount, not only for the future of the students themselves but for the future of the country. We seek to offer a program of equitable education [to] a population of students who typically lack adequate skills necessary to lead in business, who are plagued by economical gaps and who generally encounter a bleak future of no hope due to circumstances beyond their control," the application states.
"We believe that parental involvement is a critical element to building a holistic approach to learning," the application also says. "Our philosophy is that students will have greater success when their parents understand what is going on in their schools and why."
Ronald Wilkerson and Shelia Wilkerson are co-founders and in-laws. Ron Wilkerson is not expected to be in any paid position; however, he is part owner of the facility where the school will be located. Shelia P. Wilkerson would be the executive director of the school.
The School of Academic Performance and Career Academies on West Hale Avenue in Osceola -- sponsored by the Helping MissCo Kids Read organization -- would start by serving up to 72 pupils in first-through-third grades and possibly adding grades in subsequent years,
The proposed charter school would feature personalized learning plans, small group and one-to-one instruction, blended teaching strategies, class sizes of no more than 12 children, and an extended school day for tutoring and hands on projects supported by community groups. The school would also use the Skills, Standards, Assessments, Intervention, and Response model that links curriculum, standards, tests and interventions that have a direct impact on student mastery.
Jennifer Lewis is the creator of the proposed school.
Westwind School of Performance Arts would serve up to 150 students in grades six through eight at 7318 Windsong Drive in North Little Rock. The site includes access to an auditorium, a theater, commercial kitchen, classrooms and recreational space in what has been the Cross Life Church.
The school would integrate academics and the arts. Students would acquire knowledge in English/language arts, math, science and social studies through the lens of art, according to the application.
Data would guide all school decisions as the staff and students work to increase knowledge, skills and an appreciation of the arts. The school would cultivate a network of community partners and establish opportunities for learning that extends beyond the brick-and-mortar classrooms.
The sponsoring organization is the Timmons Arts Foundation that provides arts enrichment to 500 children from 22 schools in Central Arkansas. Theresa Timmons, executive director of the foundation, is the contact for the proposal.
Metro on 06/03/2020