Charter school bid explored

Filed Under News

CALHOUN FALLS — A month after the Abbeville County School District Board of Trustees voted to close Calhoun Falls High, residents continue to explore options to keep a school in their town.

Last week, residents heard a presentation from David Church, executive director of the South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools, and on Sunday more than 200 people attended a “Save Calhoun Falls High” meeting to learn more about one charter school option: Imagine Schools, a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Va.

“There are two things that make charter schools different,” said Stephen Gilcrest, South Carolina regional manager for Imagine Schools. “Number one, parents are involved. The second thing that makes Imagine Schools different are our six measures of excellence.”

According to the Imagine Schools Web site, http://www.imagineschools.com, those measures are:

* adhering to shared values;

* parent choice and satisfaction;

* academic achievement;

* positive character development;

* economic sustainability;

* new school development.

“The bottom line is it gives you a private-school feel in a public school,” Gilcrest said. “What we do at Imagine Schools is assist communities with that. We come in and complete the charter application, and we come in and operate the school.”

Gilcrest spent two hours answering audience questions about transportation, food service options and testing. In addition to state-mandated PACT testing, students in Imagine Schools also participate in standardized testing at the beginning and end of the year to gauge student progress and achievements.

The company would also provide funding to start the charter school.

“In every school we operate, it’s always in a deficit the first year because you have to build or purchase a facility,” Gilcrest said. “In July, the state is going to give you the funds for the number of students you projected. If that number is 600, and on the first day of school if 50 students show up, you’re going to get a call saying, ?Send us a check back for the 550 until you get them.’ One of the things we want to make sure is that the school is sustainable.”

Imagine Schools would sign a long-term operating agreement with the charter school board in exchange for 12 percent of total per-pupil funds, Gilcrest said.

“We have built schools in less than six months,” Gilcrest said. “In your particular situation, the best solution is to acquire that school.”

The next step for a Calhoun Falls charter school involves creating a committee, Gilcrest said. That committee would make the decision to work with Imagine Schools or the state charter school district.

“We do the whole nine yards, but you have to hire us to sign that operating agreement,” he said. “I think over the next few days you need to concentrate on getting a committee together. I want you to realize how real this is and how difficult this is. It’s going to be a struggle; it’s going to be a cat fight over the next two months.”

Four members of the Save Calhoun Falls High School Steering Committee attended the meeting.

“I think it would be irresponsible for us to sign anything today,” committee member Keith Ashley said. “As a board, we’re going to discuss this and try to make the best decision. Either way, where we go with Imagine Schools or operate a charter school ourselves, we’re going to achieve our goal: educating students in this community.”

Ashley also said part of that decision will depend on whether the Abbeville County School District agrees to sell the committee the current Calhoun Falls High School building.

“The meeting before last, we had a survey that asked people ?Do you want a charter school?’” committee member Evelyn Bounds said. “I got back 250 sheets, and 249 yeses.”

Gilcrest said that, in addition to parents and town residents, elected officials should also get involved in supporting and negotiating a Calhoun Falls charter school.

“In this particular case, the politics have to be worked out,” he said. “In my opinion, it was a political decision that they closed the school, and it’s going to take a political solution to fix it.”

Greenwood Index-Journal
By JENNIFER COLTON
1/13/08

Posted January 21, 2008 

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