LITTLE ROCK — The state Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved four charter schools proposed by school districts, including one in Bradley County.
The board heard no opposition to the creation of the conversion charter schools in the Warren, Osceola, Cross County and Lincoln Consolidated school districts.
Eastside New Vision Charter School in the Warren School District in Bradley County will serve up to 510 students in kindergarten through third grade.
Officials from the Warren district said the school will be based on, but not affiliated with, a school in Denver, Colo., that offers “customized” instruction. Students will not be assigned to traditional grades but instead will be assigned to “learning levels” and will advance from one level to another based on their performance, the officials said.
“What we want to do is create a new system of learning,” said Marilyn Johnson, Warren’s assistant superintendent.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Monday, superintendents and other officials of the districts said the charter schools would offer project-based learning. The applications included waivers from certain requirements which would allow innovation, the officials said.
In the Osceola district in Mississippi County, Osceola STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) will serve up to 450 students in grades 5-8.
Some board members initially expressed reservations about Osceola’s application, noting that in 2010 the board revoked the charter of a previous conversion charter school run by the district, the Osceola Academic Center of Excellence, for violations of accreditation standards.
Board members also noted that the Osceola district was classified as fiscally distressed during the 2009-10 school year and was only removed from that status last March.
“I’m finding it difficult to envision the district being ready from a financial standpoint, from an academic standpoint, from where they are presently, (from the standpoint of) leadership and a lot of other areas,” said Toyce Newton of Crossett.
Osceola Superintendent Mike Cox assured the board the district is ready.
“We’ve turned this school district around,” he said. “We’re not where we need to be, but we’re going in the right direction. We’ve proven that. I feel like this is the next step.”
State Education Commission Tom Kimbrell told the board he agreed with Cox that the district is turning itself around. He said innovation is what troubled schools need and pointed out that the board has more power to hold charter schools accountable than traditional schools.
“We’re encouraging these school districts to do this,” he said.
Cross County Elementary Technology Academy will serve students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with an enrollment cap of 500 students.
Cross County Superintendent Matt McClure told the board that whether students are headed for college or work after graduation, they must be prepared for success.
“That means preparing them with requisite skills that include not only the academic core content but that students are able to problem solve, they’re able to think analytically and break things down into steps, they’re able to communicate, to collaborate, and that they’re able to us technology to do those things,” he said.
In the Lincoln Consolidated School District in Washington County, Lincoln High School: New Tech will serve up to 850 students in grades 8-11. The school will be affiliated with the California-based New Tech Network, a nonprofit organization that supports 86 schools across the country.
“We want kids who come out of the New Tech high school to be able to graduate with an associate’s degree or to have a certification in a high-skilled, high-wage field. We want them to come out of school college or career ready,” said Lincoln Superintendent Clay Hendrix.