Charter School Approved
Rowan Academy will open in fall with 200 students

BY SUSAN DICKERSON
SALISBURY POST

The state Board of Education approved Rowan County's first charter school Thursday.

Rowan Academy will open in the fall with 200 students and about $1 million in state and local funding - money the Rowan-Salisbury Schools won't receive.

The state school board approved opening 24 new charter schools around the state, bringing the total number of independent schools to 86.

The state will take more applications next year. The General Assembly set a cap of 100 charter schools.

And now that they will receive state and local funding, the board is a public body, open to the public. Their first official meeting will be held at Love Christian Center, 102 N. Long St., East Spencer, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, however, the date and time of that meeting may change.

Dr. Ronald W. Hash, one of the charter school's directors, didn't know of the state board's action until a reporter called.

''We're looking forward to the opportunity, and we feel that we have a program that will be an asset to the community,'' Hash said. ''And we just are looking forward to working to make our children have another option to maximize their potential.''

Howard Hurt, associate superintendent for the Rowan-Salisbury School System, said, ''I just wish them well. I have no qualms about anyone starting any school.''

Losing the money, however, *itis a problem to the schools. As students in the Rowan-Salisbury system withdraw and opt for the academy, funding will follow those students. But all those students won't come from one school. ''They're spread out all around, it doesn't really decrease our expenses. With five students here and 10 there, it's not going to reduce our costs or anything else, but I don't hold the charter school people responsible for that.''

The board of directors has not expanded, as Chairwoman Charlene Montford originally indicated it would. The board consists of:

-Montford, who wrote the academy's application. She recently moved here from Goldsboro, where she served on the board of another charter school. She taught in Onslow and Davidson County schools as well as Albemarle and a school system in Georgia.

-Bernetta Jones, admissions office manager for Livingstone College.

-Hash, founder and pastor of Love Christian Center in East Spencer.

-Eugene Perry Jr., Barber-Scotia College's vice-president for institutional advancement.

-Benjamin P. Warren III, who will graduate from N.C. A&T State University in December.

Hash said a few people have indicated interest in serving on the board, but the directors have not voted on those prospective members.

With approval in hand, Hash said the directors still have not found a location. The board is looking at two sites, which he wouldn't reveal.

Directors have not accepted student applications yet, but the school hopes to attract 200.

As for personnel, including a principal, Hash said he's had several people contact the directors. He declined to say whether they already work in the Rowan-Salisbury system.

''I think the school system would be concerned about any personnel leaving us within a tough time to find teachers,'' Hurt said. ''Requirements for teachers also are going up, and it is getting more and more difficult to find teachers to fill our classrooms.''

The academy will follow the same curriculum as other schools across the state, with some additions. The school, because it receives state money, will fall under the state ABC testing plan. The state will test students on how well they are learning, and they will be ranked with all the other elementary and middle schools across the state.

The school also will incorporate some Core Knowledge curriculum - a curriculum developed that specifically states what students are expected to learn each year. This curriculum is becoming popular enough that whole school districts are adopting it. Salisbury Academy follows this curriculum.

Accepted students also will wear uniforms, and parents must participate.

Other nearby charter schools to receive approval are: Cabarrus County Charter School; American Renaissance Middle School and Development Day School both in Iredell County; Stanly County Community Outreach, Stanly; and Tarheel Challenge-West in Mecklenburg County.

Other charter school applications approved by the state Board of Education were: Crossmore Academy, Avery; North Star, Buncombe; Oma's Inc. Charter School, Cumberland; Success Academy, Partnership Academy Charter School Inc. and Research Triangle Charter Academy, all in Durham; The Mountain Community School, Henderson; Provisions Academy, Lee; Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School, Moore; Thomas Jefferson Classical, Rutherford; Tarheel Challenge-East, Sampson; Laurinburg Homework Center, Scotland; Vance Charter School, Vance; Hope Elementary School, Interconnections Charter High School, Northeast Raleigh Charter School, Preeminent Charter School and Quest Academy, all in Wake County;

The state board delayed a decision on: Winston-Salem Academy, Forsyth; Greensboro Academy and Guilford-Sabis Charter, Guilford; and Omuteko Gwamaziima, Durham.