(The Center Square) – Six applications for charter schools opening in the fall of 2026 gained approval, and one renewal for this fall was declined on Monday by the North Carolina Charter School Review Commission.
Community School of Digital and Visual Arts in Durham, a kindergarten through eighth grade institution founded in 1998, will have to close at the end of the year unless the school successfully appeals the decision. The school was among the Legislature’s cap of 100 schools in its initial law that allowed charters to begin opening in 1997-98.
The cap was lifted in August 2011.
The state has 208 charter schools operating with another 11 scheduled to open this fall, Ashley Baquero, executive director of the Office of Charter Schools told The Center Square. The six chosen to open in 2026-27 were from a pool of 13 applicants.
The newly approved schools are Centerpoint Classical Academy in Guilford County; Granite Charter in Chatham County; Warrren Young Explorer’s School in Warren County; North Carolina Connections Academy, a remote statewide school; Bettis Academy in Wake County; and Legacy Traditional Schools in Forsyth County.
Joe Battle, board chairman of Community School of Digital and Visual Arts, spoke before the review commission to explain the chain of events that led to the school failing to submit its financial audits for two years.
“Two years of not having audits is unacceptable,” he told the commission. “I completely understand that concern.”
The school’s executive director transitioned to another role, the bookkeeper retired and the school also lost its auditor, Battle said.
“It’s very difficult to find auditors,” he said. “We found ourselves in the hole we are in today.”
The school has now found a high-quality auditor and a draft of the 2023 audit will be completed soon, Battle said. The 2024 audit will be completed by February, he said.
The school serves a largely Black and Hispanic community, Battle said. Its website puts the percentage of student population at 95% Black and 5% Hispanic, with 85% economically disadvantaged meaning the students receive free or reduced prices for lunch.
Commission members also pointed out that the school had compliance issues with fire inspections, nutrition and health and safety requirements. One commission member described those violations as dangerous.
“We take those noncompliance issues very seriously,” Battle told the commission.
North Carolina charter schools are public schools. They are designed to offer more flexibility than traditional public schools in areas such as curriculum and staffing. They are operated by independent boards but are authorized by the state and receive both state and federal tax dollars.
