Moore charter school may be forced to shut down

Mar 9, 2010 — The Fayetteville Observer

Hilary Kraus

Mar. 9, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- ABERDEEN -- The Academy of Moore County could close at the end of the school year.

The State Board of Education denied a recommendation by the N.C. Office of Chartered Schools last week to renew the school's charter for three years. The Academy was awarded a three-year renewal in 2007.

The school did not meet its growth components in recent years, according to the state.

"The state board examined their performance over the past years, which were low, and debated the issue and decided not to renew their charter," said Sara Clark, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Allyson Schoen, the school's director of education, said the school plans to fight to overturn the decision.

The school met its growth standards as defined by the state's testing programs in three of the past five school years, according to state records. It also met its Adequate Yearly Progress goals, or performance standards guideline measured on a federal scale, in two of the past five years. It met both components in 2008-09.

Growth indicates the rate at which students learned over the past year. Under the growth formulas, students are expected to perform as well, or better, for the current year as they did during the previous two years, Clark said.

"I can't understand why they are not looking at the current status," Schoen said.

The school, which is on U.S. 15-501 south of Aberdeen, was founded in 1997. It has 174 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. There are 13 teachers.

The charter school is a public school of choice that is tuition free and financed through public funds. Students wear uniforms.

Many of the students come from military families, Schoen said. Students come from Moore, Scotland, Hoke and Richmond counties. The school is not under the umbrella of the Moore County school system.

"I've got parents in tears. They don't want to see this place close," Schoen said. "And we've been making progress."

The Academy opened a new $2.2 million facility in August, replacing its Southern Pines facility.

Administrators began addressing its academic deficiencies in August 2008 through a corrective action plan, Schoen said. They also implemented Measures of Academic Progress -- computerized tests of the students.

"It allowed the teachers to see the weak spots and the holes in the students' learning," Schoen said.

Staff writer Hilary Kraus can be reached at kraush@fayobserver.com or 323-4848, ext. 331.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0072-42695323