The proposal for a new charter school, Pattison's Academy for Comprehensive Education, coasted through the rigorous state approval process with a strong plan for serving students with multiple and severe disabilities.

The real challenge facing the charter school was finding a building that could house its program. The difficulty in securing an affordable space that meets state rules has prevented numerous charter schools from opening, and Pattison's Academy had even more restrictions on the type of building it could occupy.

The charter school needed wide hallways and large classrooms that could accommodate multiple wheelchairs and equipment for its handicapped children. Handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a one-story building were a must.

Pattison's Academy has found all of that -- and so much more -- in a West Ashley building at Rutledge Baptist Church on Bees Ferry Road.

"This is a dream," said Sloan Cooper, executive director of Pattison's Academy. "For the first year, we couldn't ask for a more perfect space."

Church leaders knew when they built the facility three years ago that they wanted it used more than just on Sundays, said Frank Cone, pastor of Rutledge Baptist Church. Some of the church's members and leaders have connections to children with special needs, and when the church heard about Pattison's Academy for Comprehensive Education needing a building, they reached out to the charter school.

"We like to say God did it," Cone said. "This is a ministry opportunity. If nothing else, it's a ministry opportunity to let them use it."

The charter school will have to pay rent, but it's a manageable amount that spares critical dollars needed to operate the school. Still, Pattison's Academy hopes to raise an additional $150,000 in donations for next year so organizers can run the school the way they envisioned it.

The only change the charter school expects to have to make is installing an electric door opener at the front entrance, which is minor considering the scope of the requirements for the building, Cooper said. The building has an infirmary, showers, a laundry room and an outdoor area where children can play.

Cooper beamed as she showed off the rooms children soon will fill, but she was most excited about the building's full-size gym. She sees it as a place where students will be able to put on performances for parents, learn to drive their wheelchairs and play with one another.

"Isn't it just awesome?" she said as she walked into the gym.

The charter school is named for 6-year-old Pattison Julia Sloat, the daughter of one of the school's founders, who has the functional development of a 3-month-old, uses a wheelchair and has hearing and vision impairments. It will open next fall and serve 30 students between kindergarten and the eighth grade. The school plans to grow by 12 students annually until it enrolls about 70 students. The building is big enough to house the school for at least two years, but Cooper wasn't sure what would happen after that.

The charter school is accepting applications, and if more students apply than spots are available, it will host a lottery. Organizers hope to hire a principal and therapy director by January.

Cooper looks forward to parents and the community seeing improvements in the health and quality of life of children who attend Pattison's Academy, and finding a building was a major step forward in making that possible.

"It gives us a chance, which is what so many charter schools don't get," she said.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.

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