A group of citizens is hoping to bring a charter school to Columbus as early as the upcoming school year.
Led by retired businessman Claude Simpson and pastor Darren Leach of Genesis Church, the Columbus Coalition for Educational Options was established to give children another option besides public school.
In April, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Charter Schools Act, a law that would allow public charter schools to open throughout the state. An advisory committee will sift through applications from around the state and choose 15 that will be allowed to create charter schools in Mississippi.
Simpson said the Columbus Coalition for Educational Options plans to be one of the 15, adding that a local charter school would demand higher performance from the area public schools.
“It will be the catalyst to get the public school straightened out,” Simpson said. “We hope to have it approved by the first of the year.”
To date, the Columbus Coalition for Educational Options has held two meetings and is comprised of community leaders and local pastors. The Dispatch has learned that former Columbus Municipal School District superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell is involved with the group, though she could not be reached to confirm her involvement. Liddell served as superintendent of CMSD for a little more than a year after serving as interim superintendent of the district for a year. She was fired in June after the Dispatch reported she improperly used district funds for personal use. She has a termination hearing pending.
Simpson said the Columbus Coalition for Educational Options has not yet submitted its application to the state but current plans have the school being housed in Genesis Church, formerly known as Hughes Elementary. Simpson and Leech bought the school from the Columbus Municipal School District in 2011.
While public charter schools must test students the same as public schools, charter schools are allowed to be more flexible in their teaching methods, Simpson said.
Simpson said in a press release that the fact that the state allows charter schools in at-risk districts “minimizes politics within the education process, thereby permitting teachers to spend more valuable time with students instead of pandering to political nuances. In addition, such focus gives administrators the ability to quickly gain permission to implement innovative programs that address educational needs more quickly by eliminating the red tape that is typical in the operation of a traditional public school.”
Currently, the Columbus Municipal School District is rated “D” and considered “at risk,” by state officials.
Citing a high school dropout rate of 30 percent in the city schools, the Columbus Coalition for Educational Options press release said children from low income families often “fall through the cracks” in the public school system.
“The majority of the children living in the city of Columbus have no choice for education other than to attend a local public school,” the release states. “Educational research shows that students from low income and stressed family surroundings face a serious challenge to succeed in traditional public schools. These at-risk children easily get behind with learning and…move toward truancy, dropout, and juvenile delinquency.”
Simpson said the group needs additional community involvement to help with financing and public relations.
“Presently, there are already more than 25 community members who have signed-on to help assure that the CCEO will be able to fulfill its promise to the community and act as a catalyst for the establishment of a Public Charter School in the Columbus area,” the release states. “We need you, the reader with a heart for our children, to consider joining us.”
Anyone with questions regarding the charter school can contact Simpson at [email protected].
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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