An effort to provide an additional education option is underway in Greenville as preparations to apply for a charter school license have been made.
Reggie Whitley has started the process of creating a charter school, Relentless Preparatory Academy, with the Mississippi Department of Education Authorizing Board.
Gathering community feedback is required by the board and in an effort to meet the requirement and allow community members to comment and learn more about the potential charter school, a public meeting is being held Monday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.
“I witnessed and heard how things could be different.” Whitley said. “For years people have said we need more options and we need something better.”
Whitley said often parents choose to relocate to areas with more attractive educational opportunities or results in low income families struggling to pay private school tuition.
“So instead of sitting and complaining with everyone else, I decided to do something about it,” Whitley said.
The charter school is another option for parents residing in the Greenville Public School District to have free public education for their children.
Whitley said the application to the board includes grades pre-k through second grade, with goals of expanding to offer all grades if approved.
Light refreshments will be offered at the informational meeting. To attend the meeting, RSVP at xl2019.eventbrite.com.
Application Timeline
After the parent meeting, Whitley will complete the final paper work to submit to the board, which will make a decision after visiting Greenville.
Whitley said he began the application process in March to apply for a 2020-2021 school year approval.
In March, letters of intent and eligibility determinations were announced and an orientation webinar was held by the board.
The deadline to complete proposals is May 10.
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If the application is approved for review, public hearings will be held in late August.
The board’s final decision will be announced September 9.
About Mississippi Charter Schools
Charter schools approved by the board and in operation in Mississippi include:
• Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School, operated by Clarksdale Collegiate, kindergarten - 2nd grades
• Midtown Public Charter School, operated by Midtown Partners, Inc., 5th - 8th grades
• Reimagine Prep, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc., 5th - 8th grades
• Smilow Collegiate, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc., Kindergarten - 1st grades
• Smilow Prep, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc., 5th - 7th grades
The MCSAB is charged with approving only quality charter school proposals that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices.
According to MCSAB, the Mississippi Charter School Performance Framework is the accountability mechanism for all charter schools authorized by the Mississippi Charter School Authorized Board.
The objective of the Performance Framework is to provide charter school operators and boards with clear expectations, fact-based oversight and timely feedback while ensuring charter autonomy.
The Mississippi Charter School Performance Framework assesses schools on their ability to operate as sound, independent entities that successfully serve all students.
The Performance Framework features three key components:
• Routine ongoing oversight and submissions
• Three performance frameworks which measure the academic, financial and organizational performance of schools
• Annual performance reports.
All Mississippi charter schools are issued an initial contract of five years. Over the course of this five-year contract term, charter schools are evaluated annually using the components of the Performance Framework.
Charter schools are then evaluated for renewal of their contract in the fall of their fifth year based on data and evidence collected over the school's contract term.
All Mississippi charter schools receive at least one visit annually.
All full site visits include classroom visits, facility reviews, policies and procedures audits, interviews with leadership team members including school leaders, special education coordinators and board members. The results from site visits are included in each school's Annual Performance Report.
At the end of each school year, all information from routine ongoing oversight is compiled with each school's results on the Academic, Financial, and Organizational Performance Frameworks.
This information is reported in each school's Annual Performance Report. Annual Performance Reports are shared with school leaders and boards, published on the Authorizer Board's website, and included in any required legislative and public reports.
