Two years after Alabama lawmakers passed a law allowing public charter schools in the state, the first such school is preparing to open later this year, but overall, only a few entities have expressed interest in opening a charter campus.
AL.com reports that only three new public charter school applications were received by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission before the May 1 deadline. All seek to operate beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.
Last year, five charter school applications were received. Alabama's first public charter school, ACCEL Day and Evening Academy, will open in August in Mobile.
The latest applications seek to open schools in Sumter County, Montgomery, and Shelby County. Because those local school boards have not registered as a charter authorizer, prospective charter operators applied directly to the state commission.
The University Charter School, affiliated with the University of West Alabama, has applied to operate a preK-5 school in Sumter County.
An application from Alabama's Infinity Learning Center seeks to open a high school for economically disadvantaged students in Montgomery County.
The third application is from Merit Academy, which hopes to open a grade 3-8 school in the Childersburg area of Shelby County.
Only four of Alabama's 137 school boards have registered to be local charter authorizers: Athens City, Birmingham City, Greene County, and Macon County.
Applicants who want to open a charter school within those geographic school district areas must apply directly to the local school board.
