Monday, April 8, 2013

Mint Hill mayor gets charter rejection


Mint Hill Mayor Ted Biggers is among 27 applicants statewide whose 2014-15 charter school proposals were pulled from consideration because of incomplete paperwork.  The Public Charter School Advisory Council met Monday to ponder giving them a second chance  --  and found two more with incomplete paperwork.

The state Office of Charter Schools found that 42 of 69 applications were complete,  sending them on for the next step of review.  Sixteen of 19 applications from Mecklenburg County cleared the first screening, while only five of the 10 applications for surrounding counties made the cut.  Rejections included both applications from Iredell County,  two of three from Union County and one of three for Cabarrus County.  Both applications filed for Gaston County survived the first screening.

Biggers
Biggers is already president of the school board of Queens Grant Community School,  a K-8 charter in Mint Hill.  Queens Grant High School in nearby Matthews has been operating under the same charter for the last six years,  with the new application designed to split the high school off under its own charter.  The Office of Charter Schools cited four gaps in the application,  which includes a 38-page narrative and 133 pages of appendices.  Keung Hui of the News & Observer obtained copies of all the rejection letters;  read them here.  All 2014 applications are available here.

Biggers said Monday the rejection won't close the high school.  He said his board just thought it made more sense to have separate charters,  since the two Queens Grants have separate campuses and principals.

As for the rejection,  Biggers says he understands:  "Quite frankly,  it's just like a job interview.  You judge folks on the way they present themselves in the application."  But he said it might make more sense for the office to send back applications with minor omissions to allow corrections,  rather than throwing those applications out.

The advisory council is slated to decide Tuesday how to handle the rejected applications.

As Hui reports,  all this is part of a broader debate over the proper way to monitor educational quality and financial responsibility in North Carolina's fast-growing charter school movement.  Interest has been especially intense in the Charlotte region,  which hosts a large number of existing charter schools and the N.C. Public Charter Schools Association.  The association is among three charter advocacy groups that has raised questions about the large number of disqualifications this year.



  

17 comments:

Ettolrahc said...

Surprising.

Normally Ted and his fellow members on the town council, the workers in town who support them, plus the sycophants who surround them, know all about how to manipulate the system to get something done.

I am sure this will be cleared up very soon.


Anonymous said...

Amen to that...

Anonymous said...

Probably should pull charter from K-8 too! It's not a real school!

Anonymous said...

8:32,
It's very clear. The applicants speak a different language. It's called read an educational application form, go to the seminar, and based on many of the letters, submit a hard copy. Can't wait to see these clowns do a 504, multiple PEP or IEP's.......oh that's right, the legislature can get the prison based non-degreed educator to help with next year's application. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Missouri said...

Pretty interesting reading. Seems several conclusions can be read into these. The one I do not like is that many of the "career" officals in these state offies are trying to help CMS as much as possible by limiting charter school opportunities that would attract the bright and/or white population from leaving CMS.

Anonymous said...

Let's make sure we understand that "several conclusions can be read into these" means you're stating a biased opinion based on preconceived notions entirely rooted in conjecture.

Anonymous said...

DPI favoring CMS has never been much of a factor. There has never been much love lost between these two.

Anonymous said...

Ted needs to get Mr. Norman George to help him fill out his application. Oh, Mr. George got letters for four (4) other schools? I wonder when Ted and company will ever complete construction of the QGHS. No turn lane. No permanent building. No athletic fields or stadium seating. School still using MHPD officers to handle traffic. Do they reimburse the town for officers? The place is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Charters will not have to worry about IEP's or PEPs. They will not educate at-risk or EC kids. They will keep them 10 days so they keep the money, then send them back to "regular" schools.

Anonymous said...

I came on here to post about QG, but some of these comments are so far off base it's past funny bordering on uneducated. You can tell they are all comments from the outside looking in with no information outside of prejudice and hate toward Charter Schools. Now that said, I too think QG is below standard in so many areas. However, the crack about the police department...? How many schools don't use cops and yes they pay a hefty bill to the MHPD. They also have one of the best EC departments in the state. No turn lane? Ask your local government about that because schools don't choose to put in turn lanes, moron. 10 days? It's not 10 days and it's the same for all schools.

Anonymous said...

I thought I saw somewhere that the school was in process of being evicted. No big surprise for politician Biggers..

Anonymous said...

My daughter attends QGHS and was just accepted to UNC Chapel Hill- honors college. QGHS is a great alternative to CMS. We do not get rid of our EC students, we pay the MHPD for traffic control, and YES QGHS is a real school. Keep the faith Ted Biggers! You and your staff are doing a great job!

Anonymous said...

It is not an accredited High School!!! Glad your daughter got into UNC Chapel Hill somehow!! Queen's Grant never bothered with the paperwork to become an accredited high school!! Just like they never bothered with this paperwork to receive a separate charter!! Neither one of the Queens Grant schools have ever been a priority for Ted Biggers, just an afterthought!!

Anonymous said...

It is accredited as any other public school, you clown. Just call over there, yes, make an effort lazy, and ask how many D1 schools their kids are at. It has to be made public knowledge, unlike your horse crap.

However, it is also in the process of being evicted for not making any lease payments this year. Strange how a new principal comes in and takes everything over, has had 2 installments of state money and yet can't pay the bills?? Check the principal's background. I think he's had 20 jobs in 20 towns over the last 30 years!

Anonymous said...

Biggers and Smith don't pay their bills... you'll be luckey if your kids get to see graduation day on that campus...

Anonymous said...

Ted Biggers should use Dr Michael Smith the principal of Queen's Grat on his next campaign with the skills he has to scam the system. Ted Bigger's will defintely be a shoe in!!!

Anonymous said...

The Administration and the Board of Directors of this school is RACIST! The school does not even have security... except for one, whom just happened to be the brother of the Mayor Mint Hill... hmmm... not a real Security Guard!