The state’s reconfigured Charter Authorizing Panel voted Tuesday against a proposal for a charter school in Bentonville.
The group behind Focus STEM Academy envisioned a school for grades five through eight with an enrollment cap of 352. The proposed location was 5121 Runway Drive, which is off Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and near the Walmart Distribution Center.
The panel voted against the proposal, 3-2.
“We’re disappointed,” said Jonathan Cummings, chairman of Focus STEM Academy of Benton County. “We’re looking at our options going forward, still processing that result. I believe there’s a review process we can request. I’m not sure what we’re going to do. I’ll talk it over with the board, regroup a bit. It wasn’t the result we expected.”
Cummings is from Aurora, Mo.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Focus STEM Academy’s application states public schools in the area do a good job with student achievement as measured on standardized tests, but struggle with a “noticeable gap” between the general population and several subpopulations of students.
There are two open- enrollment charter schools in the Bentonville School District: Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy and Haas Hall Academy. Arkansas Connections Academy, a virtual charter school, also is based in Bentonville but serves students from across the state.
The authorizing panel — made up of staff members from the state Departments of Education and Career Education and interested residents — also disapproved a proposal for P3 Academy Charter School in McGehee for grades one through four.
Panel members cited concerns about financial viability of the plans in their rejection of the two plans.
The panel gave preliminary approval for two charter schools to be in former Little Rock School District buildings beginning with the 2018-19 school year.
The panel will meet again today and Thursday on as many as five more charter school applications — including two more proposals for schools in Little Rock, two in Pine Bluff, and one in Weiner.
The authorizing panel’s votes on each of the applications will ultimately go to the state Board of Education, which has the authority to accept a panel decision or hold its own hearing on an application before making a decision on a proposed school.
While the panel is expected to submit decisions on a total of nine charter school plans, the state Education Board can approve no more than five for the 2018-19 school year.
Arkansas Code Annotated 6-23-304 sets a loose cap on the the number of open-enrollment charter schools. There are 24 charter schools or charter school systems in operation — not counting a new charter school for adult learners — resulting in a state cap of no more than 29 total charter schools for the 2018-19 school year.
Charter Authorizing Panel members are Ivy Pfeffer, state Department of Education deputy commissioner; Jeremy Owoh, the agency’s new assistant commissioner for educator effectiveness; Mike Hernandez, newly appointed state superintendent for the Office of Coordinated Support and Service; Kathi Turner, deputy director for career and technical education at the Department of Career Education; former Rep. Mike Wilson, D-Jacksonville, an attorney; Toyce Newton of Crossett, executive director of the Phoenix Youth and Family Services; and Naccaman Williams, special interest program director for the Walton Family Foundation of Bentonville. Newton and Williams are former members of the state Board of Education.