A Swain County group that wants to open a charter school is the top choice of a state review committee.

Board members from Mountain Discovery Charter School went to Raleigh two weeks ago for a state-mandated interview. All 17 applicants for the three charter school slots open in North Carolina took part in the interview.

“We are first on the list,” said Mary Ellen Hammond, a member of Mountain Discovery Charter School’s board of directors.

Ortho Tucker, the director of the state’s charter school office, said Mountain Discovery’s application was “probably one of the best the review committee has ever seen.”

“They had to address three areas — the business plan, the education program, and the governance — and all were quite well done,” said Tucker.

“They are first on the list of 10 we will send to the state school board,” Tucker said.

The state school board grants final approval for new charter schools. It is expected to review the advisory committee’s recommendations at its January meeting, questioning committee members about the process it used and the applicants. Tucker said the three charter schools who are approved are expected to be announced at the state board’s Feb. 6-7 meeting.

Mountain Discovery Charter School would serve up to 144 students in grades kindergarten through six. The state legislature currently allows 100 charter schools, which are tax-funded public schools of choice. Each student who attends the charter school takes with them the state and county per-student allocation.

According to the budget prepared by the Mountain Discovery board of directors, approximately $525,000 of its budget would come from Swain’s state Average Daily Membership funds and $31,000 would come from Swain County’s local appropriations. The school expects to draw students from up to five counties, however, and its total estimated budget is $858,000. If it opens, it will become only the second charter school west of Asheville. The other is The Summit in Cashiers, which primarily serves students from the Highlands and Cashiers area.

That fact — that Mountain Discovery will try to attract students from up to five counties — was well noted by the committee, said Tucker.

“Instead of just affecting one county, they could draw from up to five. The committee was interested in that,” said Tucker.

Swain school officials have argued that the school would harm the public schools in the county by taking away resources.

Hammond said Mountain Discovery’s first choice for a site is the old Whittier School, and arrangements have been worked out with its owner. The school’s curriculum will be based on “expeditionary” learning, which tries to teach students by integrating lessons across curriculums and involving projects and hands-on learning.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News