A board that oversees charter schools in West Virginia described significant enrollment growth, although much of it has taken place in virtual formats.
Overall enrollment in five charter schools now stands at 2,270 students.
That is up from 1,248 students last year.
“So that is not quite double but more than a 1,000-student growth; much of this growth driven by the two virtual schools,” said James Paul, executive director of the West Virginia Professional Charter Schools Board.
Enrollment for individual schools is:
- West Virginia Virtual Academy: 936
- Virtual Prep Academy: 667
- Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy: 374
- West Virginia Academy in Morgantown: 275
- WIN Academy, which recently opened to provide a career path in nursing for high school students: 18
West Virginia had no charter schools until passing a state law allowing them in 2019. Charter schools receive financial support from the state’s public education system and are given greater operational latitude in exchange for the possibility of losing their right to operate if they fail. Because they receive public funding, they are considered public schools.
West Virginia opened four inaugural charter schools in fall 2022 through the approval of the West Virginia Professional Charter Schools Board, which is made up of members appointed by the governor. It’s an independent body, separate from the state Board of Education.
Money for stimulus fund
Officials with the board have continued to say they want to embrace West Virginia’s recently enacted but not-yet-funded Charter Schools Stimulus Fund. which is meant to help with startup costs associated with renovating or remodeling buildings or purchasing school buses.
Grants from the fund could be up to $400,000 to schools during or before their first two years of
operation.
“Establishing this fund was a great move by the Legislature. It follows the lead of other states that have created similar funds,” Paul said. “But to date, no dollars have been appropriated into West Virginia’s stimulus fund. I’m hopeful that the Legislature will make an appropriation into this fund in this coming legislative session.”
Eastern Panhandle school makes change
A couple of the schools that have been approved to operate have experienced some turbulence.
Officials with the West Virginia Professional Charter Schools Board said Eastern Panhandle Prep Academy will scale back next year to serve only elementary- and middle school-aged students, dropping pre-K and high school grade levels for now.
“This was a difficult decision, I believe, for the governing board of that school; it’s one they didn’t take lightly,” Paul said.
“But I do believe it was prudent for them to focus on serving a narrower band of students, really focus on offering a premiere experience for those students, build up demand in those grades — and in particular the middle school grades, 6, 7 and 8 over time — and then reassess in the near future whether high school can return as an option.”
He said, “That is the board’s plan, in a few years to look at whether they have a critical mass of students in those middle school grades and can operate the high school more efficiently than they have been in the first two years.”
Nitro school at a decision point
Meanwhile, a school that was approved two years ago — Nitro Preparatory Academy — still hasn’t opened and has been looking for a home.
“The school in the Charleston area has still not secured a building, a school facility. And, as you know, this charter school’s opening has been deferred twice after being initially authorized in the fall of 2022,” Paul said, suggesting that if there isn’t a breakthrough then the board might want to start consideration of withdrawing the charter.
Nitro Prep is a good example, he said, of the need for facilities funding or stimulus funding to help new schools settle into buildings.
“We have considerable population in that area. It’s ripe for a high-quality charter school, and we don’t want to deter other possible developers from coming in by having a school holding a charter that has not been able to open, that has not been able to find a building,” Paul said.
“So I want to balance working with the applicant and helping them see their vision through with also making sure that other people can come in there and serve the needs of that area.”
Board chairman Adam Kissel suggested beginning consideration of removing the charter in the coming months, while also making a final assessment of Nitro’s situation.
“We can get the process started if we need to, and in the mean time you can get final word from Nitro on what’s happening.”
