Cabarrus school board discusses reservations about virtual charter school

Members of Cabarrus County Board of Education expressed concerns during their work session on Monday regarding an application submitted by North Carolina Virtual Charter Academy.

The board is scheduled to vote at its Jan. 23 business meeting on whether or not the district will grant preliminary approval and support the charter school.

Board members first discussed this at their business meeting last month. At that meeting, they heard that, if it is ultimately approved, the virtual charter school would be based in Cabarrus County and would enroll students statewide.

It would have North Carolina-certified teachers, and students would have online and hardcopy school materials, said Joseph Chisholm, vice president of school development for K12, Inc., a technology-based education company that provides curriculum, at last month’s meeting.

Teachers and students would work from home and stay in touch regularly, Chisholm said last month, and parents would oversee the students’ work.

He also told the board last month that the charter for this new school would be submitted by North Carolina Learns, Inc., a proposed nonprofit group, and it would be under the new law that eliminated the cap on charter schools. Chisholm said that going to a school district to partner with is one way for a charter school to receive initial approval.

Board member Cindy Fertenbaugh spoke first about the matter at this week’s meeting, calling it a heavy risk with low reward. She said she had far too many questions about it, beginning with the legal and policy side.

“It is not our responsibility to address perceived needs in the state,” Fertenbaugh said. “When we all of a sudden jump into something that is going to affect our neighbors, our peers…and we haven’t done that analysis for ourselves, I feel like we put the cart before the horse. (We need to) focus on what we need.”

She added that the system gets excited when it receives funding back from the state that it previously lost from students leaving the system to attend charter schools.

“I don’t think we need to be distracted and introduce anything that could possibly change our student population in that dramatic of a way,” Fertenbaugh said.

Fertenbaugh and school board member Carolyn Carpenter also asked why the board members of North Carolina Virtual Charter Academy, who were present at this week’s meeting, did not ask the counties they work in to sponsor it.

“We chose Cabarrus for being progressive and a recognized leader,” said Chris Withrow, board member of the North Carolina Virtual Charter Academy. “Learning what you have learned, we can benefit from all that…Ultimately, we’re asking for you all to support us…It will be (up to the) state board of education if it’s approved or not.”

School board member Grace Mynatt said that it sounded like the virtual academy board wanted to borrow Cabarrus County Schools’ reputation because it is afraid it might not get approved at a higher level.

Mynatt also asked if it was the Cabarrus school board’s place to make a decision that would affect other school boards in the state. She said she did not feel comfortable doing so.

She agreed with Fertenbaugh, saying that she also had too many questions that needed to be answered.

School board Vice Chairperson Blake Kiger asked about how the academy would be on the cutting edge for curriculum, and Karen Ghidotti, from K12, Inc., said the company constantly reviews state test scores to see what areas need to be addressed.

Ghidotti also said that if a student is struggling, the parents will be able to meet with staff members at neutral locations, like a library, which school board Chairperson Lynn Shue concerned him.

“(A meeting) could be in the center of the state, and that’s at the total expense of the parent,” Shue said. “Testing is at the total expense of the parent…My (understanding) is it’s putting a lot of weight on the parent.”

Superintendent Barry Shepherd told the school board members that they were analyzing the decision well. He said that supporting this virtual charter academy would allow the system to, at no charge, offer additional courses for its students that are not offered by the North Carolina Virtual Public School.

“We have a chance to get on board with it for our students to benefit from it,” Shepherd said. “I teach my principals to fight for their schools, and I’m here to fight for my school district…I believe we can benefit from this.”

Shue asked board members to continue to look at this decision and ask themselves how they would look at it if there was no monetary benefit before the vote occurs later this month.

Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152