Forty nonprofit organizations have filed applications to open a public charter school in August 2016. These applications met the Sept. 26 deadline and were submitted through the automated application system utilized by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). A spreadsheet of applicants is available at www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/.
“These new applications represent an opportunity to expand on the choices available to North Carolina students and parents,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson. “The Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education will continue to partner with charter schools and traditional schools to prepare all students for post-secondary education, careers and citizenship.”
Each charter school applicant was required to pay a $1,000 application fee and perform criminal background checks on the proposed board members. The Office of Charter Schools will be reviewing these applications for completeness before forwarding them to the Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB). The CSAB will utilize its committee structure and external evaluators to review these applications. After deliberation, including interviews, the CSAB will recommend the highest quality applicants to the State Board of Education for approval.
There are currently 148 public charter schools open in North Carolina. Three other charter schools slated to open in August 2014 received a one-year delay due to facility concerns and could now open in 2015. An additional 11 schools received a favorable report from the State Board of Education to enter the planning phase with the goal of opening in August 2015. The Department of Public Instruction will provide training for these applicant groups over the next year as they complete the Ready to Open process.
Visit the Charter Schools website for more information.
About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 126 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state’s public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.