NH's first charter school to close this summer
FRANKLIN, N.H. --New Hampshire lawmakers still are negotiating the details of a bill that would boost funding for charter schools, but the help won't come soon enough to save one of them from closing.
The Franklin Career Academy has faced financial struggles since it opened in 2004 as the state's first charter school. It closed after its first school year and then reopened in 2006, but on Friday, director Bill Grimm told the school's 30 students that they need to find another school to attend next fall because the school will close this summer for good. Teachers have begun interviewing for other jobs.
"They knew what the deal was, so it wasn't like some great epiphany," said Grimm. "What we wanted to do was not wait any longer because we thought they have to make a decision."
The school was designed to help at-risk high school students in a community that had one of the state's highest dropout rates. It operated almost entirely on state funds, which now amount to $3,800 per pupil. That number would rise to $6,500 under the pending legislation, but Grimm said even that amount would not be enough to run the career academy properly. He estimated his operating costs at about $8,000 per student.
Since the Franklin school opened, 13 charter schools have opened in New Hampshire, though not all have survived. Directors at many say they're also struggling to make ends meet.
Grimm said he's heartened by the school's educational successes. Two of this year's five graduates were admitted to their first-choice colleges. Others who were struggling at conventional high schools have thrived at the charter school, he said.
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Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com 