Struggling Charlotte charter school already has four would-be saviors, NC staffer says

Four groups have already applied to take over Charlotte’s struggling Community Charter School under a new state option that could save the school from closing, a state staffer said Wednesday.

The school, which was among the first to open in North Carolina, is testing a new approach to salvaging schools with unacceptably low academic performance. A state law already allows successful charter schools to apply to take over schools threatened with closing, though no school has used this option before. The state Board of Education is scheduled to vote Thursday on a revision that also lets other “entities” apply as well.

The nonprofit board that runs Community agreed to the takeover option in December. Had that board declined, the school would have closed at the end of this school year.

Deanna Townsend-Smith told the state board on Wednesday that the Office of Charter Schools has already received four proposals. She did not offer any details.

The goal is to avoid disruption for students by awarding control to a group that has a track record and a plan to improve students’ performance. The elementary school in uptown Charlotte’s Cherry neighborhood currently has 82 students.

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Struggling Charlotte charter school already has four would-be saviors, NC staffer says."