This week, Arkansas’ new Charter Authorizing Panel will hold hearings for open-enrollment charter schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. The new panel is comprised of seven members within the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), including Commissioner Tom Kimbrell, who is the chair of the new panel. In a recent policy brief, we outline the charter authorizer landscape across the United States and give background on Arkansas’ new charter authorizer. The new panel oversees the authorization of open-enrollment and district conversion charter schools; this week, the panel is hearing requests for proposed open-enrollment schools. In January, the panel will hold hearings for proposed district conversion charter schools.

Seven proposed charter schools have submitted applications to open in the 2014-15 school year. According to a Commissioner’s Memo, up to five open-enrollment charter schools can be authorized in the 2013-14 application cycle (19 open-enrollment schools exist and the laws allow the cap to be extended to 24 open-enrollment schools). Below we detail each of the seven proposed open-enrollment charter schools. Find the proposed schools’ application here.

Proposed Charter	Capitol City Lighthouse Charter School, National Network: Lighthouse Academies. 3 Charters in Arkansas: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Flightline, Pine Bluff.
Location	North Little Rock
Districts projected to pull from	North Little Rock SD, Little Rock SD, Pulaski County Special SD
Grade levels	K-12
2014-15 Grade levels	K-6 (Add one grade per year in subsequent years)
Enrollment	750
2014-15 Enrollment	344 students; Projected 71% FRL
Focus	“To prepare our students for college through a rigorous arts-infused program; rigorous Academics, Social Development and Arts Infusion.”
Other	Extended day; extended year

Proposed Charter	Exalt Academy of Southwest Little Rock, Exalt Education, Inc., 1 Campus in Arkansas: Little Rock Preparatory Academy
Location	Little Rock
Districts projected to pull from	Little Rock SD, Pulaski County Special SD
Grade levels	K-8
2014-15 Grade levels	K-3 (Add one grade per year in subsequent years)
Enrollment	540
2014-15 Enrollment	180 students; Projected 100% FRL
Focus	“Prepare students from educationally under-served areas of Southwest Little Rock for competitive colleges and advanced careers from an early age by ensuring mastery of the core subjects and developing the key behaviors required for success, citizenship and leadership in their communities and beyond; liberal arts educational experience”
Other	Extended day; extended year

Proposed Charter	Ozark College and Career Academy
Location	Springdale
Districts projected to pull from	Springdale SD, Bentonville SD, Rogers SD, Fayetteville SD, Gentry SD, Siloam Springs SD, Pea Ridge SD, Huntsville SD, Greenland SD
Grade levels	K-12
2014-15 Grade levels	K-2, 6-8 (Add two grades per year in subsequent years)
Enrollment	250
2014-15 Enrollment	108 students; Projected 54% FRL
Focus	“Empower K-12 students to excel academically, discover their talents, and advance toward their dreams through 21st Century learning models.”
Other	Montessori-based Early Childhood Program; Project-based Learning

Proposed Charter	Quest Middle School of West Little Rock, National Network: ResponsiveEd. 3 Charters in Arkansas: Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Bentonville
Location	Little Rock
Districts projected to pull from	Little Rock SD, North Little Rock SD, Pulaski County Special SD, Benton SD, Bryant SD, Lonoke SD, England SD
Grade levels	6-12
2014-15 Grade levels	6-8 (Add one grade per year in subsequent years)
Enrollment	490
2014-15 Enrollment	220; Projected 79% FRL
Focus	“Innovative, encouraging, character-based, individualized learning environment, where they are academically successful and develop into lifelong learners.”

Proposed Charter	Redfield Tri-County Charter School
Location	Redfield
Districts projected to pull from	White Hall SD, Sheridan SD, Pulaski County Special SD
Grade levels	5-12
2014-15 Grade levels	5-8 (Add one grade per year in subsequent years)
Enrollment	175
2014-15 Enrollment	175; Projected 60% FRL
Focus	“Instill in each student core character values, a sense of community service, and a love of learning; empowered to achieve academic excellence and will be cognizant of their potential to change themselves and their community.”

Proposed Charter	Young Adult Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy of South Mississippi County, National network: Magic Johnson Bridgescape
Location	Osceola
Districts projected to pull from	South Mississippi County SD, Osceola SD, Blytheville SD, Gosnell SD, Manila SD, Armorel SD
Grade levels	9-12
2014-15 Grade levels	9-12
Enrollment	250
2014-15 Enrollment	200; Projected 100% FRL
Focus	“A specialized program focused on dropout prevention and recovery for students; provide an alternative graduation path for those who are at risk through dropout intervention services that include a self-paced quality education in a personalized environment with a focus on successful postsecondary transitions.”
Other	Blended learning; individualized instruction

Proposed Charter	Young Adult Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy of Crittenden County, National network: Magic Johnson Bridgescape
Location	Sunset (West Memphis and Marion)
Districts projected to pull from	Earle SD, Marion SD, West Memphis SD, Hughes SD, East Poinsett SD, Marked Tree SD, South Mississippi County SD
Grade levels	9-12
2014-15 Grade levels	9-12
Enrollment	250
2014-15 Enrollment	200; Projected 100% FRL
Focus	“A specialized program focused on dropout prevention and recovery for students; provide an alternative graduation path for those who are at risk through dropout intervention services that include a self-paced quality education in a personalized environment with a focus on successful postsecondary transitions.”
Other	Blended learning; individualized instruction

The hearings will begin each day at 8:30 AM in the ADE Auditorium. Read Wednesday’s agenda here and Thursday’s agenda here. On Wednesday, the Panel will first hear requests from existing charter schools to amend their charters. Then, the Panel will hold three hearings for proposed open-enrollment charter schools: Capitol City Lighthouse Charter School, Exalt Academy of Southwest Little Rock, and Ozark College and Career Academy. On Thursday, the Panel will hold the hearings for the remaining proposed open-enrollment charter schools: Quest Middle School of West Little Rock, Redfield Tri-County Charter School, Young Adult Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy of Crittenden County, and Young Adult Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy of Mississippi County. You can watch the hearings live here. 

While the hearings will follow the same procedures as in the past, with the first year of the new panel, we do not know what outcomes to expect. Of course, we will be following the hearings closely and updating our blog and Twitter account with the outcomes.