HARRISBURG – In a sudden reversal, the Harrisburg School Board rescinded its vote from last week and approved the application for the Capital Area School for the Arts charter school.
Board members voted on the application at a special meeting tonight.
The school board had voted Feb. 19 to deny the application.
Board President Jennifer Smallwood said the board felt it was “in between a rock and a hard place.”
“We didn’t have any grounds to deny the charter,” Smallwood said. “Based on the criteria set forth by the Department of Education, we had to approve the charter.”
According to state law, school districts can turn down a charter school if its application does not meet certain criteria. They cannot, however, reject it because of costs.
Right now, Harrisburg has an $11 million budget deficit and is expecting its charter school tuition payments to more than double from $6 million to $14 million next year.
Smallwood said she understood that parents wanted options for their children's education, "but there are great things happening here in the Harrisburg schools and we ask that you give us a chance."
"Based on previous reports, if the criteria being looked at doesn't show that charters are excelling and meeting AYP as previously thought, then parents really need to open their eyes and see the truth."
The board also voted down a second charter application for the STEAM Charter School of Harrisburg, which had previously been denied.
Smallwood would not comment on the STEAM charter denial.