5 Clark County schools still in running for charter takeover

Five Clark County schools are still in the running to partner with charter operators as part of the new, controversial Achievement School District after a state Board of Education meeting Thursday.

From a list of nine, state board members removed four middle schools, citing those schools’ higher ratings on the state star system. The final decision of which schools will be in the inaugural run will be decided by achievement district officials before Feb. 1.

“I don’t think that anyone has an appetite to do harm and to pull away from a family or a community a school that is working well,” board president Elaine Wynn said. “We are charged with executing the law.”

The remaining schools, one middle and four elementary, are:

■ Cambeiro Elementary

■ Craig Elementary

■ Orr Middle School

■ Fitzgerald Elementary

■ Kelly Elementary

The schools removed from the list include Brinley Middle School, Von Tobel Middle School, Jerome Mack Middle School and Bailey Middle School. Those four will continue to operate under the Clark County jurisdiction.

Of the voting members on the state board, Victor Wakefield was the lone “no” vote in the 6-1 decision, questioning why fellow board members wouldn’t also want to remove Orr Middle School as well, based on the rating system. Wakefield was in favor of moving all the schools forward.

Representatives from the schools, including principals, parents and staff, spoke before the state board, pleading to spare them from the achievement district and let them continue on progress they say they’re working on. Principals wove a common theme: These schools serve as the heart and the hub of the communities.

Understanding that, board member Tonia Holmes-Sutton said the move was not a reflection on leadership that’s only been in place in the last two or three years, noting many principals who spoke were relatively new to their schools.

“We collectively have a responsibility to the children. The families in these communities have been here countless years and they’ve been waiting for a change,” she said.

Achievement staff will take the shortened list and make a final decision by Feb. 1. The chosen campuses will cease to operate as traditional public schools at the end of the 2016-17 academic year and will become charters at the start of the 2017-18 academic year.

Eligible schools were either in the bottom 5 percent of elementary and middle schools or had a graduation rate below 60 percent. From an original list of eligible schools, Clark County had 26 schools. When the list was whittled to nine, it left only Clark County schools.

Earlier this week, Agassi Prep became the first school to officials join the achievement district. As an existing charter, Agassi Prep was able to opt into the achievement district if it was deemed underperforming.

Traditional schools deemed underperforming have gone through a complex process to grade the schools on a number of indicators, including proficiency and growth.