week of  2/13/02
 
 
 
Mountain Discovery Charter to open this fall
SMN
Who: Mountain Discovery Charter School Board of Directors
What: Informational meeting for prospective parents and students
Where: Old Whittier School gym
When: Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.
What Else: For more information, call 828.488.4406 or visit the website at www.mtndiscovery.org


The N.C. State Board of Education has granted a charter to Mountain Discovery Charter School (MDCS), which is being organized by a group of Swain County residents.

The State Board announced on Feb. 7 its final approval of the school’s application and granted one of three available charters in the state to the school. The new school will serve Swain, the Qualla Boundary, Jackson, Macon and Graham counties.

“We are extremely pleased with the State Board’s decision,” said MDCS Board Chair Mary Ellen Hammond. “It has been a year-long process and involved a lot of hard work, but it has been worth the effort. We look forward to serving the children of our region with a new choice in public education, beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. It’s a very exciting prospect.”

The group plans to locate the new school in the Old Whittier School near the Swain/Jackson County line. A 20-mile radius of this location encompasses Sylva, Franklin, Bryson City, Chero-kee, and reaches into Graham and Hay-wood counties. The new school will serve grades K-6 in its first year, adding grades seven and eight in the two years following. Any student residing in North Carolina is eligible to enroll, and children will be admitted on a space available basis.

As a public school, MDCS will be funded by the state, and no tuition will be charged. Like other charter schools, MDCS will operate independently of the local Board of Education. Instead, it will be governed by a Board of Directors comprised of parents, local businesspeople and other community members. The Board will be accountable to students, parents, and the state for student achievement and fiscal priorities. Parents will be actively involved in the school.

A charter school also determines its own instructional approach and curriculum.

“At MDCS, class sizes will be small, and there will be equal emphasis on all subjects, including science, music and art. Students at this charter school will learn not only by listening, counting, reading, and writing, but also by building, drawing, singing, and moving,” said Hammond. MDCS will use the New American Schools Expeditionary Learning instructional model, which emphasizes hands-on learning, team teaching, and reinforcing school skills with real world experiences.

The school is currently accepting resumes for a director and teaching staff.

“We’re seeking teachers and assistants who are creative, innovative, and ready for new professional opportunities,” said board member Heather Green. “We know that a school is only as good as its teachers, and we are committed to supporting our teaching staff in every way possible.”

Mountain Disco-very Charter School will begin its enrollment period for the upcoming school year on March 1.

The proposed budget prepared by the charter school’s board of directors estimates it would need $858,000 to operate in its first year, tax money that would follow students who choose to attend. According to the budget prepared by the board of directors, approximately $525,000 will come from Swain’s state Average Daily Mem-bership funds and $31,000 would come from Swain County local appropriations.

Swain County School officials have gone on record op-posing the school. They cited many reasons for opposing it, including a loss of state revenue and the loss of community support.

In addition to Mountain Discovery, the State Board issued two more charters, one for a school in Stanly County and another in Durham County. Two charter applicants were turned down.

Since charter schools became legal in North Carolina, 23 have closed, voluntarily relinquished their charter or had their charter revoked.

State law mandates that only 100 charter schools be allowed in North Carolina until a study analyzing their progress is presented to the General Assembly. The three charters approved last week brought the total to 100. The Charter School Law was passed in 1996.

Charter schools were legalized in North Carolina “to foster creative approaches to education by relieving these schools from many of the state regulations and requirements. Charter schools are public schools offered to parents as one choice for their children’s education,” according to a state website.