Charter panel to consider renewals

The Arkansas Charter Authorizing Panel will consider renewal of several state issued charters when it meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the auditorium of the Arch Ford Education Building at 4 Capitol Mall, Little Rock.

The panel Tuesday will consider charter renewal applications for the Cabot School District’s Academic Center of Excellence, Hot Springs Junior Academy, Cross County Elementary, Lincoln High School, Prairie Grove High School and the North Little Rock Center of Excellence.

On Wednesday, the panel will consider charter renewal applications from The Excel Center in Little Rock, River Valley Virtual Academy operated by the Van Buren School District, the multicampus Arkansas Lighthouse Academies charter system, Exalt Academy of Southwest Little Rock, and the multi-campus Haas Hall charter system. Haas Hall has applied to open a campus in Fort Smith.

The panel decisions on the charter renewals will be reviewed by the Arkansas Board of Education for final approval.

The panel meeting will be onsite, with a virtual option for presenters and viewers. Livestream viewing is available at https://bit.ly/39EiaSY. There will be limited access to the public to view via livestream in designated areas within the building.

The panel will continue to receive written public comment via email and postal mail. To ensure panel members have sufficient time to review the comments, public comments should be received by 9 a.m. Monday. Comments can be emailed to tim.johnston@ade.arkansas.gov or mailed to the Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, Charter School Office, Four Capitol Mall, Slot 21, Little Rock, AR 72201.