MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Academy has submitted an application to operate a charter school in Mon County that is under review by the board of education.
The legislation passed by lawmakers allows three charter schools beginning in July of 2020. The legislation allows charter schools, but they must be authorized by the county board of education.
The West Virginia Academy has submitted an application to open a charter school that would be available to students in Mon, Marion and Preston Counties. On Talkline, president of the West Virginia Academy board, John Treu said he believes the charter school format is needed.
“We have noticed some ways in which the public schools could really benefit from a different approach,” Treu said,” We’ve also noticed some individuals’ needs are really not being met within the current public school system, which we believe is a great system for most students, but not necessarily the right system for everyone.”
A survey conducted in the spring revealed less than 50 percent of Mon County parents were highly satisfied with public schools, according to Treu.
“We have a very high graduation rate, which is to be commended,” Treu said,” But, our student outcomes are not necessarily were they should be, we aren’t meeting a lot of the academic standards and expectations that have been for public schools and that’s true in Mon County even though Mon County is perhaps the best among all counties.”
For fiscal year 2019, the West Virginia Schools Balanced Scorecard reports Mon County high schools only partially meet the standards for English Language Arts, Math, on-track to graduation and post-secondary achievement.
“We will have a more rigorous institution in terms of academics and we will hold students and teachers in our school accountable,” Treu said,” We seek to create an environment of learning that is richer then what they have now.”
Treu says the organizational changes will encourage learning at a high level while providing a framework for monitoring progress and performance.
“The problem with using student outcomes is actually in the ways they’ve been utilized, not that student outcomes should be used at all,” Treu said,” So for us, we would like to make sure teacher assessments are properly aligned with the goals of the school and student outcome are front and center of those assessments.”
Those in opposition to charter schools contend the practice will pull financial resources away from public schools. Treu says it no different than when a local high school student would switch from one Mon County institution to another.
“That students funding would follow that student from one public school to another public school,” Treu said,” The same situation occurs with a charter school where if a student applies to a charter school that funding goes to the charter school.”
Mon County school officials are scheduled to submit a notice of deficiencies to the West Virginia Academy on October 31. The academy has until Monday, November 16 to address the deficiencies.