New charter to open: Environment-focused school get tentative OK

Those who live in and near the small, rural community of McClellanville will be able to take advantage of a new environment-focused charter school, Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter, starting in fall 2012.

And an online school hoping to serve low-performing students is one step closer to opening that same year. Richard Milburn Academy, a proposed online charter high school, received conditional approval from the state Charter School Advisory Committee, and pending minor revisions to its application, the school will be able to move forward and request final approval to open from the state Public Charter School District Board.

For Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter, the school received conditional approval to open from the state board last week. The approval was conditional because it still must complete minor tweaks to its application requested by the state advisory committee. Those were turned in on the same day the state board held its meeting.

Planning committee Chairwoman Patty McClellan expects to receive the unconditional go-ahead soon, and she's excited about seeing the school become a reality.

"Because of a world of factors coming together, it's going to work," she said.

Charter schools are public schools that are run by elected boards of parents and community members. They are accountable to the same state and federal standards as public schools, but they operate independently of a local school district's mandates.

One of the biggest hurdles charter schools face is finding affordable building space, and Cape Romain has found a home in the unused portion of the Archibald Rutledge Academy building in McClellanville. The former pre-K through 12th grade private school has scaled back only to serve pre-school students, and it's agreed to lease most of its building to Cape Romain for $1 plus expenses.

"It just makes it so doable, not to mention the facility is ideal for what we want to do," McClellan said. "It's right across the street from a salt marsh estuary."

The town plans to build a boardwalk through that area, and McClellan hopes to persuade them to include an observation deck that would give students more opportunities for outdoor leaning.

The proposed charter school would open with about 115 in kindergarten through fifth grades and grow to 170 students and including middle school. Any student who lives in the area, or who can find transportation to the school, would be eligible to attend.

There are a number of Richard Milburn Academies in Texas and Florida, and the online school hopes to serve up to 250 students across South Carolina during its first year. The school offers a blended online program, which means students can take online courses and travel to its eCampus, which will be based in Charleston. The school also has Advanced Placement courses and small class sizes.

"Low-performing and drop-out students who need a non-traditional option to succeed will find the flexibility and the commitment of our school and staff can help them successfully complete high school prepared for college, career training, the military or the world of work," said Houston Conley, the school's planning committee chairman.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546.