School Eyes Charter

FARMINGTON HIGH TO HOST PUBLIC HEARING

FARMINGTON — As part of its new model to use career academies for 10th-12th graders, Farmington High plans to apply to the Arkansas Department of Education to be named a conversion charter school.

A public hearing on the application and how conversion charter status would affect Farmington High will be held 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25 in the high school library. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

Clayton Williams, assistant principal, said a conversion charter would allow the high school to have more flexibility in complying with state rules and laws that apply to a school’s operation.

Arkansas has two basic types of public charter schools, according to the Department of Education’s website. A conversion school is a public school converted to a public charter school. Conversion schools can only draw students from within the school district’s boundaries. This is what Farmington is seeking.

The other type of charter school is an open- enrollment public charter school run by a governmental entity, an institution of higher learning or a tax-exempt organization. Haas Hall Academy, which started in Farmington and then moved to Fayetteville, is an example of an open-enrollment public charter school that can draw students from across district boundaries.

Williams said the high school is seeking conversion charter status because its application to be named a School of Innovation was denied earlier this year. If it achieves conversion charter status, then the high school will use this method to implement some of the changes it requested as a School of Innovation.

Jon Purifoy, high school principal, said these changes include allowing non- licensed, but qualified, staff to teach specific courses, such as a police officer teaching a class on law enforcement or a school nurse teaching advanced health. The high school also wants to have a late start on Wednesdays and to be allowed to count marching band toward the one-half physical education credit required for graduation.

The application process for conversion charter is very detailed.

The application is 28 pages long with a Sept. 9 deadline. The Department of Education will review the application and then return it to Farmington High for a response. If the school makes it through this step, officials will meet with the state’s Charter Authorizing Panel.

Williams said he thinks the school would know in January if its application is accepted. If approved, Farmington would become a conversion charter public school, effective with the 2015-16 school year. The charter would be in effect for four years and the school is allowed to request amendments to it during that time.

The high school is committed to its Career Academy model, whether or not it receives a conversion charter, Williams said.

Under the Career Academy concept, students are placed in academies based on their learning styles and their interests. For 2014-15, Farmington High will be more in the “pre-career academy” phase, Purifoy said, noting that the school will implement block-scheduling this year and that will be a big transition for teachers and students.

Farmington High will have three academies that will launch in 2015-16. One will be centered on math and science, another on research and service industries, such as medical, teachers, social workers, and the third will focus on arts and business-related interests.

Each academy will have its own name, with a teacher named as director. This information will be unveiled at the public hearing Aug. 25.

Other parts of the academies will include group service projects, career based activities and partnerships with organizations and business leaders in the community.

Purifoy

Williams