State board considers revoking charter of new school with just 15 students

The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board is considering revoking the charter of a Canton school that opened its doors in August due to low enrollment.

SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy was approved in 2020 with plans to serve 150 students in its first year between kindergarten and first grade. But the school reported an enrollment of 12 students to the Mississippi Department of Education earlier this fall and told Mississippi Today this week that number has risen to 15. School leaders also said the school currently has six full-time teachers and 11 employees overall.

The organization that operates the school, SR1 (Scientific Research), was founded by Tamu Green in 2005 and collaborates with public and private partners to decrease disparities in Mississippi, specifically among minorities. The group applied to open a school in 2017, 2018 and 2019 but was denied.

Charter schools are free public schools that do not report to a school board like traditional public schools. Instead, they are overseen by a local governing board and held accountable by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. They have more flexibility for teachers and administrators when it comes to student instruction. 

Traditional public schools and charters both receive funding based on the number of students they serve, but the method of calculating enrollment can vary between the schools. Traditional public schools are funded based on enrollment in the previous school year, while new or expanding charter schools get state dollars based on their projected enrollment since the number of grades they serve is changing. 

For SR1, the projected 150 students resulted in a public funding allocation of $940,000 for the 2023-24 school year. If charter schools do not enroll the anticipated number of students, the excess funding they received is subtracted from their allocation for the next year.

The authorizer board voted in October to begin the revocation review process, which allows the board to review a school’s paperwork and daily functioning, working with schools on goals to address issues. This is the highest level of intervention in Mississippi’s charter school system, as it can lead to a charter being revoked if goals are not met. 

At the meeting Monday, board members discussed some elements of the plan submitted by the school and decided to reevaluate the status of the charter at the March board meeting. Board members also set a goal that the school has 100 students by the March meeting, either currently enrolled or committed for the 2024-25 school year.

While school leaders say they are actively working to recruit more students, authorizer board members said in discussion Monday they were concerned about the school’s continued ability to operate when funded at the appropriate level next year. 

Leaders for the school said in a statement that they do not expect financial issues in the 2024-25 school year because they have saved much of the extra money they received this year, allowing them to continue operating smoothly when the education department adjusts their funding.

The statement also addressed recruiting new students and said the school is advertising using social media, direct mailers and print media. It added that the school’s initial recruitment efforts were hampered by “uncertainties surrounding its opening,” but now have more staff devoted to recruitment.

The school is currently building a new campus to focus on incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into the classroom experience, according to an article shared by school leadership. In the interim, the school is currently operating at the St. Paul AME Zion Church, according to the address listed on the authorizer board’s website.

Editor’s note: SR1 has previously advertised on Mississippi Today’s website. Advertisers do not influence Mississippi Today’s editorial decisions.

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