Agassi Prep in Las Vegas tries to calm fears of takeover by national charter operator

Agassi Prep school officials are trying to clear the air regarding a potential partnership with national charter school operator Democracy Prep, as fear set in over a takeover and the rumored stricter educational model that may come with it.

The K-12 charter school’s governing board voted on Wednesday night to voluntarily join the Achievement School District, a new initiative in Nevada in which underperforming schools are paired with charter school operators.

The board will also determine over the next 45 days whether to pair with Democracy Prep, one of three charter applicants approved for the achievement district this week.

But a flier distributed among the school community spiked concerns, arguing that a Democracy Prep takeover would mean a longer school day running from 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

It also claims that Democracy Prep schools — located in Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. — adopt a “no-excuses” policy with silent lunches and silent hallways.

The flier sparked alarm from parents, who packed the board meeting.

Board member Francisco Aguilar said the flier came from a group of teachers, and not the school.

“I know change is not easy and uncertainty is sometimes difficult,” he said. “However, we as a governing board have to ensure that we’re thinking about … that human capital that goes into providing a quality education, and ensuring that we’re always doing what we can to provide the best education.”

Democracy Prep CEO Katie Duffy met with parents on Thursday night to address more concerns.

She explained that Democracy Prep schools do have a longer school day, although programs such as tutoring that run from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. are not all mandatory.

There are “Saturday opportunity” days for students at risk of failing in a course, she said.

In Democracy Prep’s elementary schools, she said, there’s often a silent period during which time students will eat their lunch. Afterwards, students do talk.

And the “no-excuses” philosophy, she said, is about having no excuses for adults — not kids.

“The only reason why we are here is because we think we can help make sure that the kids at Agassi, in kindergarten all the way to the 12th grade and even beyond, are prepared to be active citizens in our democracy,” she said. “And are prepared to come out of the other side of college successful and poised for life.”

The backlash is similar to schools across Clark County that have rallied against a possible charter school conversion in packed parent meetings.

Yet unlike those schools, Agassi Prep is a charter school — meaning it is not automatically eligible for the achievement district.

Agassi Prep’s secondary school was placed on this year’s underperforming list, among the bottom 5 percent of middle schools in the state.

Though not on the list, its elementary school has two stars out of the state’s five-star rating system.

Charter schools listed as underperforming face three options — closure from their authorizer, state receivership, or the choice to opt in to the achievement district.

The board will make a decision on whether to pair with Democracy Prep in December.

Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at 702-383-4630 or apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.