Charter group to try again

Organizers of the Apple Charter School might not have succeeded in opening on their first try, but that didn't stop them. They plan to submit another application this spring.

The prospective charter school for at-risk students failed to receive approval from the state Charter School Advisory Committee last fall. That is a hurdle charter groups must overcome before going to their local school board or to the state Public Charter School District to receive permission to operate.

The problem with the school's application last fall was that it didn't include critical budget information, and revenue and student enrollment projects needed to be adjusted.

The school's supporters have been working with a licensed accountant to create a comprehensive and correct budget, said Aj Davis, a member of the school's development committee. Plans are to resubmit the application to the state board by May 1 and apply to the Charleston County School Board for permission to open for the 2010-2011 school year.

The school board has a moratorium on approving new charter school applications until a number of issues are resolved, but charter school organizers are hopeful that will be lifted by the time they apply.

This prospective charter school group is one of at least two that will ask the Charleston board for permission to open in 2010. Pattison's Academy for Comprehensive Education plans to open at the same time and ultimately serve 70 profoundly disabled kindergartners through eighth-graders.

The Apple Charter School plans eventually to serve 280 at-risk students in kindergarten through eighth grade and will target students who scored below basic or basic on the state's standardized test.

The school initially wanted to serve only male students, but it doesn't appear the state charter school law allows that. Organizers are working with lawmakers to amend state law. In the meantime, they are recruiting at-risk male and female students. Boys and girls would take classes separately.

One of the biggest challenges facing start-up charter schools is finding a building, but the prospective school already has identified three potential sites, two of which have been evaluated by an architectural firm to determine the scope of necessary renovations.

The idea for the school resulted from its organizers seeing issues such as illiteracy, serious misbehavior and a lack of career awareness, particularly among young men, Davis said.

"If you look at the school district as a whole, the at-risk males ... are one of the most troublesome populations to deal with academically and with discipline," he said. "It is our belief that the interventions used or not used play a large part in that."

The school will emphasize career exploration, consistent parental support, community collaboration and high academic achievement.

"With males, it comes down to we have to make things relevant to them," he said. "Often times, they've been misunderstood and misdiagnosed."