Charter School Board Acquires Promotional Partner

The Professional Charter School Board will partner with Ampersand Education to produce marketing materials and campaigns to attract charter school applicants.

Executive Director James Paul told the board at their Thursday meeting that the vendor will be paid from the $12 million in grants the board received from the U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program last year.

Paul said he hopes the partnership will kick start the number of charter school applicants and schools that the state has.

“They will conduct outreach to charter management organizations and potential founding board members inside and outside of the state,” he said. “The ultimate goal of this agreement will be for Ampersand, with the help of myself and the PCSB, to identify at least two high quality charter school applicants who will submit an application to the PCSB before the fall of 2025 so it’s my hope that, and it’s my belief that, this partnership that is just beginning to get underway, along with continued success in the legislature, can really kick start the number of charter school applicants and schools that we have in the state, and just continue to provide more options to families.”

House Bill 2012, which created the PCSB in 2021, also increased the number of authorized brick-and-mortar charter schools from three to 10. The law also states that beginning July 1, 2023, and every 3 years thereafter, an additional 10 public charter schools may be authorized.

But there are currently seven public charter schools in the state – three virtual schools and four brick-and-mortar schools – with another application pending.

More Grant Funds

Paul also updated the board on grant awards for Clarksburg Classical Academy and West Virginia Academy. He said both schools were selected for funding under the board’s sub grant program in August. 

“The process for finalizing the award involves some communication up with the federal Department of Education and some communication down with the schools to make sure that everyone’s application is in order, that all the i’s are dotted, t’s are crossed before the schools start requesting drawdowns,” he said. “I’m also working to ensure that the budgets that the schools have submitted are in final shape, that they’re all for, that their budgets are for only allowable costs, and that they have appropriate objectives and performance measures.”

Paul reported he continues to interview candidates for a grants manager position to assist with federal work. He said he expects to hire someone into the role by the end of the month.

Program Audit

HB 2012 requires that the Legislative Auditor conduct an audit of the public charter school program two years after the first public charter school commences operation, the findings of which will be reported to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability.

“We’re now more than two years after the first public charter school has opened, so this is about to take place,” Paul said. “I’m told that this program audit will begin in the next few weeks, sometime this fall, and of course, I’ll be prepared to provide all the information that the legislative auditor’s team is interested in. We have many successful things to report, and I’m glad that we’ll be able to communicate this to the legislature.” 

Renewal Application

Much of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the Workforce Initiative (WIN) Academy in South Charleston and their application for renewal. Paul said the school is applying for a five year renewal and plans to continue offering courses in nursing and advanced manufacturing for 11th and 12th graders. He said the board should be prepared to vote on the application at their next meeting, Oct. 31.