LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Board of Education has denied new charter schools in Pine Bluff and Little Rock but is set to consider four other charter proposals, including another in Little Rock, as its meeting continues Thursday.
The board voted 5-2 to deny a charter for Exalt Academy, which sought to serve up to 540 students in grades kindergarten through eighth, and then voted unanimously not to grant a charter for KidSmart Cultural Arts Charter in southwest Little Rock.
The board also tabled a decision America's Charter School of Lincoln, putting a decision off on that charter until the December or January meeting.
KidSmart sought to create a kindergarten- through eighth-grade charter school at 3425 Base Line Road, but board members raised concerns about the proposed curriculum and the budget. Little Rock School District attorney Chris Heller spoke against the application, saying it contained "a number of mistakes and inconsistencies" and included a proposed budget with less than $100 left over to cover unforeseen circumstances.
"'If everything goes perfectly, we'll have $91.60 left over at the end of the year — that's a concern," Heller said.
In the Exalt decision, board members expressed concern about issues including transportation and the effect of a new charter school on the nearby Dollarway and Pine Bluff school districts. The Pine Bluff School District opposed the application.
Ben Lindquist, chief executive of Exalt Education and the current executive director of the Little Rock Preparatory Academy, told the board that his charter has shown it can effectively serve at-risk students, increasing performance and achievement.
"Our progress at Little Rock Preparatory Academy is part of the reason we believe we're at a point and we have the capacity to take on this additional initiative," Lindquist said before the vote, noting his group is "trying to open schools in communities that need this support, not just everywhere."
Pine Bluff School District Deputy Superintendent Rudolph Howard urged the board not to support the charter, contending it would be "something of a death sentence" to progress under way in his system. He acknowledged that Exalt had a good presentation and goals.
"Be that as it may, I have not heard anything new that Exalt is doing," he said. "We're doing the same thing and have been doing the same thing much longer. We feel that we are much more proficient at it."
The board is also set to consider charter applications from Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville, Premier High School of Little Rock and Quest Middle School of Pine Bluff.
Arkansas currently has 18 charter schools. The state can have up to 24.
For more on this story, read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.