East Charlotte private school closure leaves families stranded in middle of the year

The sudden closure of an east Charlotte private school, where most students received state vouchers to cover tuition costs, has left families scrambling to find a new placement in the middle of the year.

Legacy Preparatory School said Friday it would not reopen for second semester, which was slated to begin Tuesday, the Observer’s news partner WBTV reported. The school’s principal, Stacey Rose, told WBTV that the school was forced to close after funding from an investor fell through, leaving its 145 students in limbo.

The school did not respond to calls and an email requesting comment.

Prior to the 2019-2020 school year, Legacy Preparatory School operated as a charter school under the name Charlotte Learning Academy. The State Board of Education voted to revoke the school’s charter in March 2019, which led to the school’s closure.

The state board raised concerns about the school’s financial outlook, noting that it was operating under a deficit. The board also cited the school’s low proficiency scores and its failure to meet growth benchmarks for three years as a reason for the closure. Still, the board heard “copious amount of advocacy of information about this school, and some of the positive things experienced by students and parents,” according to minutes from its March meeting.

It reopened this summer as a private school. The majority of its students received tuition assistance via the Opportunity Scholarship Program, an income-based voucher program that allows students to attend private schools.

Of the 145 students at Legacy Prep, 135 received Opportunity Scholarship vouchers this year, according data from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, which administers the program. In total, the school received $283,500 in tuition assistance, the sixth-most in the state and the most in Mecklenburg County.

Kathryn Marker, the agency’s director of grants, training and outreach, said that tuition assistance follows the student, and would remain available to any family enrolled at Legacy Preparatory School for the rest of the year. Parents simply have to notify the agency of their new enrollment.

“The transfer of the scholarship is easy,” Marker said. “It seems like it was pretty sudden notice. It’s finding a new school that’s the hard part.”

Students can also enroll in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at any time, said Renee McCoy, a district spokeswoman. Students should go to their home school to register, she said.

Marker said that attending a public school would not jeopardize a family’s eligibility for the Opportunity Scholarship. Any student who was part of the program this year will be asked whether or not they would like to renew for the following year, Marker said, assuming they find a private school placement.