A Starkville group submitted a letter of intent to the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board on Tuesday, indicating that it hopes to open a charter school.
S.O.A.R. (Successfully Overcoming Academic Restraints) Institute Charter School would serve students ages Pre-K through sixth grade, if its application is successful.
The school was applied for by the Peter’s Rock Temple Church of God in Christ, which would house the proposed school at 223 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Starkville. The school would be open to students in Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
Charter schools are publicly funded and do not charge tuition. They are run by private groups that agree to meet certain state standards in exchange for less regulation.
According to the group’s letter of intent, obtained by The Dispatch, board members for the proposed school include an Oktibbeha County School District principal, a Starkville School District teacher, a Mississippi Highway Patrolman and the after-school directors from Peter’s Rock.
“Our mission is to provide a well-rounded and challenging educational environment that enhances students, their families and the community,” said board member Pamela Conerly, who serves as the after-school director at Peter’s Rock. “It is our plan to offer parents an additional student-centered education option for their children. Also, it is our goal to blend traditional methods of instruction with other innovative methods, thereby helping students to successfully overcome academic restraints. Not only do we plan to produce students who S.O.A.R. in academics, but also in character, community and creativity.”
The school, if approved, would open in the 2016-2017 school year and serve around 65 students in its first year. SOAR plans to serve approximately 150 Pre-K-sixth grade students by 2020.
Conerly told The Dispatch the school is still in early stages, and is awaiting the eligibility determination the authorizer board will make Friday to see if it can or cannot submit their formal application May 26.
In their letter of intent, SOAR said it would specialize in college preparation, arts, STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) and blended learning.
The charter school authorizer board will announce Friday whether schools that submitted letters of intent will be eligible to apply.
Marian Schutte, executive director of the authorizer board, told The Dispatch the board received three letters of intent for four schools. A proposed high school in the Natchez-Adams district and a proposed elementary and middle school in the Jackson school district also submitted letters of intent.
The Mississippi Charter Schools Act passed in 2013. There have been two charter schools approved thus far, both in the Jackson area.
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