Charter school to open in Hillsborough this summer

When most schools’ doors are closed for summer vacation, a new charter school in Hillsborough will be welcoming its first student body.

The Expedition School — a recently approved charter school — will welcome about 350 kindergarten through sixth grade students this July.

“We’re just a grassroots operation,” said Patricia Brummitt, a board member for the school.

Brummitt said she plans to teach at the school, which will focus on STEM topics — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and project-based learning.

The charter school will be independent from Orange County Schools.

“Charter schools are an emerging trend nationwide,” said Michael Gilbert, spokesman for Orange County Schools.

Historically, charter schools have received backlash from people concerned about declining funding for public school systems.

When students leave a public school district, the school system loses funding.

Charter schools also use public funds, but they aren’t subject to the same state regulations as public schools as long as they achieve the goals listed in their charters.

But Brummitt said The Expedition School hasn’t received any negative feedback from the school board or parents in the Hillsborough community.

She said she thinks parents like having a choice in where and how their children will be educated.

“We believe that schools don’t necessarily all need to be the same,” she said.

Robert Landry, chairman of the board of directors for the N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said charter schools are beneficial because of the range of options for students and parents.

“There is flexibility for how they teach and what they teach,” he said.

He also said charter schools allow the community to engage in the child’s education.

“It can bring the flavor of the community,” he said. “It brings the opportunity for choice for your children.”

Landry said he believes North Carolina will see an increase in schools applying for charters in the coming years. In the last year, North Carolina has received 156 letters of intent to open a charter school as of Jan. 4.

But not every school is approved, he said.

“They’re going to have to show evidence that they’re going to do something totally different than you can find in a regular school,” Landry said.

Brummitt said board members chose to focus on science and mathematics because of the growing need for STEM-educated adults.

Students will also learn in multi-age classroom settings instead of traditional age-based classrooms.

“Our approach is to start with students from where they are and to make them grow from where they are at a pace that makes sense for them,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.