Charter gets OK to absorb NW site

SPRINGDALE — The Pulaski County-based LISA Academy can absorb the struggling kindergarten-through-eighth grade Ozark Montessori Academy charter school in Springdale.

The state Board of Education opted on Thursday against reviewing the Charter Authorizing Panel’s approval to allow LISA Academy to operate Ozark Montessori.

The school will become LISA Academy-Springdale starting next school year. The two charter schools began working together last fall after they reached an agreement that LISA Academy would take over Ozark Montessori, which has struggled academically and financially.

Ozark Montessori, which opened in 2015, serves about 169 students in grades kindergarten through eight. LISA Academy, with six schools on three campuses in Little Rock and Sherwood, serves about 2,100 students in grades kindergarten through 12.

As part of the deal, the state granted LISA Academy permission to increase its overall enrollment cap from 2,700 students to 3,000 students.

Johnny Key, education commissioner, expressed his support for the move, saying it wasn’t an easy decision for Ozark Montessori officials. This kind of deal between schools is “highly unusual,” Key said, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

He said the schools deserve credit for working together.

This is the third time that LISA Academy tried to establish a charter in Northwest Arkansas. Previous attempts were rejected by the state Education Board.