GRAVETTE — The question of whether Gravette High School would seek to become a high-tech charter school took an abrupt turn shortly after noon Sept. 20 when Andrea Kelly, superintendent of schools, emailed board members: “I will send a message to the ADE (Arkansas Department of Education) to rescind the letter of intent dated August 10.”
In that letter of intent sent to ADE, Kelly “filed to apply for the conversion of GravetteHigh School to become one of those chosen” for the charter school status. The charter school concept is being pushed by Governor Mike Beebe and it is expected that as many as 10 Arkansas schools may be involved.
Money Concerns
Kelly’s later email to the board said that, after conversations with other superintendents who had also submitted letters of intent, one of the common concerns is “there is no provision for funding to be approved concurrently withthe approval of the charter application; the lack of guarantee may also mean funding would not follow even at a later day.”
During the 30-minute presentation to the board Sept. 19, it was indicated that $85,000 would possibly be received for startup costs, with additional thousands of dollars possibly available from private concerns and the possibility of seeking federal funding.
In that presentation by members of the District 20 leadership team, the board membersand several administrators and faculty members were introduced to the charter school concept, how it would affect Gravette High and its potential benefit to students.
Meeting Canceled
A public meeting was called for Oct. 14 to present the program to citizens before the board would vote whether or not to proceed with the application process. That meeting has now been called off.
The deadline for making application is Oct. 31 of this year.
Kelly’s email stated, “We will continue to make application for the PLTW (Project Lead The Way) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs.”
The STEM program focuses on the above mentioned subject areas with the aim of preparing students to meet the needs of tomorrow’s industries.
“By 2020 three fourths of the jobs available in Arkansas will require advanced skills in those areas. The goal is to transform Arkansas’ workforce to make our state more competitive for high-wage jobs in a global economy,” Kelly told the board.
Assists CCSS
Project Lead The Way also focuses on projectbased learning where students have access to accelerated and high-tech courses in various job skills fields.
PLTW will complement the CCSS (Common Core State Standards) mandated program for Arkansas schools. Gravette school is involved in making progress for that requirement.
Kelly’s email also reported to the board, “The (leadership) team will continue ahead with the work on the two applications (PLTW and STEM) and will view the program in action at Manor High School in Austin.”
News, Pages 1 on 09/28/2011