3 charter schools open in county

Julia Schrecker's 11-year-old son, Will, has had some anxiety about changing schools, but his mother said he's in the best possible place he could be.

Will, who has multiple and severe disabilities, started the school year at a new charter school, Pattison's Academy for Comprehensive Education in West Ashley. It's a kindergarten through eighth-grade school designed to serve disabled students, such as Will, and Julia Schrecker said it takes a more holistic approach to educating children.

Most schools offer medical or rehabilitation services only if it benefits students academically, but Pattison's Academy intends to do both, even if it's just to improve a child's quality of life, Schrecker said.

"It's just more comprehensive," she said.

Pattison's Academy was one of three new charter schools to open in Charleston County this fall, each intending to serve a specific student population. The other two are Apple Charter School on James Island, which targets low-achieving students, and Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston, which is serving gifted students.

Charter schools are public and governed 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 the local school district's mandates.

Apple Charter School

The school opened in the former First Baptist Church of James Island building on Camp Road to 130 kindergartners through sixth-graders. Its target students are those scoring "not met" or "met" on the state's standardized achievement exam, and the school still has openings for students in third through sixth grades. Kindergarten through second grade have a waiting list.

The school didn't have clearance from the state to occupy its building until the Monday before school started Aug. 18, but Director Patricia Williams said teachers had enough time to move in and start on time.

The school offers small class sizes and a single-gender education, and it will have a free after-school program that includes homework help, Spanish, chorus, drama and photography.

The school also plans to start a career pathway program in which students learn lessons in core subjects, such as math and science, then apply them to real-world careers, such as architecture and engineering.

"You have to say to children, 'You're coming to school so you can get a job,' " she said. "That's what education is all about."

Palmetto Scholars Academy

The sixth- through eighth-grade school opened in the former Child and Family Development Center on the former Navy base. Its curriculum is geared toward gifted students, and 186 students enrolled. The school had space for 216, and it still is accepting applications for seventh and eighth grades.

Although most of its students come from Charleston County, the school also accepts students from nearby counties, because it was chartered by the state Public Charter School District.

The year has gone well thus far, said Stacey Lindbergh, who heads the school's governing committee. Students and parents volunteered to paint and clean the entire school and donate the landscaping.

"There is a culture there that's already started," she said. "People come there because they really want to be there, and they want their children to have this type of education."

The school will add high school grades one year at a time beginning with the ninth grade next year, and Lindbergh said the school already is planning for that.

Pattison's Academy

The school has room for 32 students, and it has only one opening. Sloan Todd Cooper, the school's executive director, said she isn't worried about filling that spot, nor does she worry about the school staying full.

The feedback from parents has been great, she said, and every time she walks around the school, she sees kids learning and receiving services they wouldn't normally get. For example, she said, the school has a room dedicated to therapy, a luxury most schools can't afford.

The biggest challenge going forward will be providing transportation to families, she said. The school is paying a private company $11,000 per month to bus seven students, and Cooper hopes to work out a deal with the school district to help with that expense.

Still, Cooper said she couldn't be happier to see the school go from the planning phase to a reality.

"It's a lot more than any of us ever could have imagined," she said.

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