Board Extends WEDJ's Conditional Charter Continuance
For Immediate Release: January 25, 2011
Contact: Audrey Williams 202-328-2748
[email protected]
Washington, D.C. — At its monthly meeting January 24, the D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) voted to temporarily extend the conditional charter continuance for the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts (WEDJ), based on the school’s decision to discontinue its high school program. The school announced yesterday that it will end the 9-12th grade program as of August 2011.
WEDJ was chartered in 2004 and offers a Pre-K – 12th grade college-preparatory academic and performing arts program at its two campuses. In April 2010, the PCSB granted the school conditional continuance after a five-year charter review. The school had to meet eight conditions before it could be granted full charter continuance. At yesterday’s meeting the PCSB said WEDJ met only three conditions. The conditions it failed to meet were related to the high school’s performance.
In its discussion before the Board, the school’s leaders acknowledged that they had expanded the high school program prematurely and that the school could no longer meet the extensive needs of the high school population without compromising the lower school program. Terminating the high school program would create a loss of about $2 million in revenue. School leaders said their finances needed to be restructured in order to continue offering the Pre-K-8 program. The PCSB agreed to extend the conditional charter continuance for four months pending the school’s successful restructuring of its finances.
In another decision, the PCSB voted to lift the conditional continuance and grant Hospitality Public Charter School charter continuance for another five years. Hospitality was also issued conditional continuance in 2010 and met all of its conditions.
The D.C. Public Charter School Board currently oversees 52 public charter schools on 93 campuses serving more than 29,000 students living in every ward of the city. Public charter schools now serve approximately 39% of all public school students in Washington, D.C. Learn more about PCSB at www.dcpubliccharter.com.
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