A state education board gave the go-ahead to five more public charter schools set to open their doors to Montana students this fall.
One floor above superintendent Ron Goodman’s office in the Libby public school district, teachers work to help about 30 high school students struggling with behavioral, attendance and learning setbacks.
Goodman says those students and others will be among the first enrolled in the newly approved Libby Central Charter School. They’ll receive individualized learning plans suited to their needs, and workforce training before they graduate.
“My favorite saying is, ‘My job as a superintendent is to make sure these kids are paying social security tax for me when I’m old,’” Goodman says. “Having these kids get out and be successful and be able to raise a family themselves.”
The state Board of Public Education gave the green light to Libby’s charter school and four others that proposed an innovative education. Like Libby and many other charter schools approved last year, new schools in Butte and Ronan promise tailored instruction for students to prepare them for life after high school.
The board denied more applicants than it approved this year, in most cases citing a lack of evidence the school could accomplish its academic goals.
It also turned down Liberty Elementary School District’s proposal for a charter school intended to serve Hutterite students cut off from public education last year due to a change in state law.
The board said it needed the state to clarify questions surrounding the effort’s legality.
The five new public charter schools bring the state total to 24. Each district will receive tax funds to open and operate the new schools starting this fall.