Note: There will be no edition of the Charter News Weekly on Thanksgiving week.
Two more charters for West Virginia
The Professional Charter School Board in West Virginia this week approved two of the three applications for statewide virtual schools before it. Thus the board has approved the creation of the maximum number of charters—five—allowed by law in a single year. These two and the three brick-and-mortar schools approved last week are all planned to open in August 2022.
One more for Toledo
Meanwhile, in Toledo, the folks behind a long-established local childcare provider are planning to open a K-12 classical education charter school in August 2023. Great news for the families of the Old South End and beyond.
The right choice
Knoxville mom Crystal Smith recently penned an extensive op-ed for The Tennessean, explaining how the rigorous curriculum of Emerald Academy—which she heard about from a friend—turned out to be exactly what she wanted for her daughter and so much more. It took her nearly three heartbreaking years to win a lottery seat in the charter school, but the benefits to her and her family since that time have been innumerable.
Enrollment boost in Indy
The number of students attending Indianapolis Public Schools grew by nearly two percent between the 2019-20 school year and the current one, boosting the district’s enrollment to its highest level in nearly ten years. However, nearly all of the increase has occurred in the city’s Innovation Network Schools, which include both brick-and-mortar and virtual charter schools as well as various district-run alternative schools. Many in education policy are lauding the apparent success of the portfolio approach in Indy.
Funding boost in Indy?
Buoyed by the apparent success of the portfolio approach to serving students, calls are ramping up for Indianapolis Public Schools to share the proceeds of a 2018 property tax referendum. Specifically, $220 million intended for teacher pay raises and student services, which has heretofore been limited to traditional, district-run IPS schools. WFYI in Indy took a nicely-detailed look at the funding issue earlier this week.
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