State says NC school’s turnaround plan ‘came too late.’ Here’s why charter wasn’t renewed
The state board of education will not renew a low-income Gaston County school’s charter due to concerns over low performance and inadequate oversight.
The board voted unanimously Thursday not to renew Ridgeview Charter School’s charter, despite an appeal from school administrators.
The North Carolina Charter School Review Board originally voted not to renew the charter at its meeting Mar. 11, citing continued low performance on state exams. The school received a grade of F from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in both 2022 and 2023. Just 13.8% of the around 300 Ridgeview students were considered grade-level proficient in 2023, according to end-of-year exam scores. Meanwhile, 50.2% of Gaston County Schools students achieved that benchmark.
“Over 85% of students at the school are consistently scoring below grade-level,” said state board of education member John Blackburn. “The school has also not met academic growth requirements in any year since it opened.”
Charter school review board members also previously said Ridgeview board members have not been consistently present or responsive when given the opportunity to present plans to improve the school since the school originally came under review in November.
“The school’s governing board has not actively and consistently participated in the school’s quest for renewal,” Blackburn told the state board of education Thursday.
School leaders told the committee that they simply need more time to implement the plans for improvement they presented Tuesday. A message on the school’s website invited parents, teachers and community members to attend the meeting to show support for the school.
“These are students who did not succeed in the state system. They come in a year or two behind, and we became a shining light for them,” said Colleen Samuels, Ridgeview board chair. “We have put the building blocks in place now, and we’re ready to go. We just need time.”
Ridgeview opened in 2019 and serves a predominantly low-income area of Gaston County. During the 2021-22 school year, 70.6% of Ridgeview’s students were considered economically disadvantaged by state standards, compared to the statewide average of 38.3%. School administrators told members of the state board of education 98% of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Review board officials said the plans Ridgeview presented Tuesday came too late.
“No real efforts appear to have been made by the Ridgeview board or staff until the appeal meeting, which we heard the day before yesterday, to demonstrate a plan to improve student performance at the school,” Blackburn said. “Unfortunately, the plans proposed Tuesday came too late and only after many opportunities passed without action.”
The committee voted unanimously to uphold the Charter School Review Board’s decision to cut off the school’s state funding, before the full board voted the same way Thursday.
The school’s charter will expire June 30.
