New location in works for Harding Charter Prep

Highly ranked charter would occupy Centennial

Harding Charter Preparatory High School Principal Steven Stefanick told families Wednesday the school is nearing agreement with Oklahoma City Public Schools to occupy soon-to-be shuttered Oklahoma Centennial MidHigh building for the 2019-20 school year.

In a post on the school's Facebook page, Stefanick said lease negotiations to occupy Centennial, 1301 NE 101, “Are moving forward to provide a smooth transition into our new home for 2019-2020 school year.”

“Our mission is to provide each student with a rigorous Advanced Placement educational experience, which prepares students for any fouryear university,” he wrote in the post. “We are confident that the relocation of Harding Charter Preparatory High School to the Centennial High School building in Oklahoma City will only enhance our ability to reach this mission, and expand our opportunities and resources for our students and staff members in the future.”

As part of the district's proposed restructuring project, a minimum of 15 schools, including Centennial, would be closed and used for other purposes. Superintendent Sean McDaniel has recommended relocating four charter schools, including Harding Charter Prep and Harding Fine Arts Academy, which share the same building at 3333 N Shartel.

McDaniel has said the building, which is more than 100 years old, is not suitable for students and would cost too much to renovate. At a series of recent community meetings, Harding Charter Prep supporters pleaded with McDaniel to reconsider the move or wait a year to do so. One speaker told him a donor had agreed to provide $250,000 for renovations.

“OKCPS continues to work with our four charter partners who are slated to be relocated as part of Pathway To Greatness,” McDaniel told The Oklahoman on Wednesday. “Although nothing is final, Harding Charter Prep has indicated that they would like to move into Oklahoma Centennial.”

In a separate post, Harding Fine Arts Academy Superintendent Barry Schmelzenbach told families and friends the school “will not be following (Harding Charter Prep) as our goal is to stay within 3 to 4 miles of our current building.”

“Our sense of urgency is high and the HFAA Board, along with community supporters, has been working tirelessly exploring several options and evaluating potential sites here in our community,” Schmelzenbach wrote on the school's Facebook page. “Our steering committee is likewise working on developing the transition plan to make sure classrooms are ready for students and teachers when we start the new school year this August.”

A district spokeswoman said, “We are still exploring options with Harding Fine Arts.”