The Howard and Lillian Lee Scholars Charter School will not open as planned for the 2012-13 school year, according to a report posted Tuesday on the NC Policy Watch website.
The State Board of Education unanimously approved the school – one of nine schools across the state approved after the General Assembly lifted the 100-school cap on charter schools in the state – in March.
The fast-track charter application approval is only valid for the school to open in 2012, so the school has submitted an application for the 2013-14 school year. The school had recently notified the state Department of Public Instruction that it would need to delay its opening after having experienced delays finding a site.
The school’s application stated that its purpose would be to provide “high-quality K-8 education that closes achievement gaps and places each student on the path to college readiness.†It would be run by a for-profit, Michigan-based charter school management company, National Heritage Academies.
In April, the school’s board reported to the Department of Public Instruction that it had “encountered challenges regarding the school’s facility.â€
A permanent site has been identified and a letter of intent had been executed, the board wrote, “but the unanticipated, lengthy process of obtaining a conditional land use permit prevents the Board from constructing a new facility before August, 2012.â€
– Staff reports