Tonight the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) unanimously voted to not revoke the charter of Potomac Prep PCS. The Board vote was conditioned under a strict and ambitious set of goals that require the school to continue making progress to turn around its academic program. Board Chair John H. “Skip” McKoy recused himself from the vote.
“Nobody, including the school’s leadership, disputes that the school’s performance in the past has been poor,” said Darren Woodruff, PCSB Vice-Chair. “However after visiting the school and hearing from the school community, many of us were persuaded that a turnaround is underway at the school. This is much more than a plan on paper; it is about continuing actual changes in culture and instruction that we have observed at the school.”
In the conditions approved by PCSB, Potomac Prep PCS is committed to undertaking specific steps to improve its academic performance. These include further improvements to its academic program over the next three years. If it does not meet these goals each year, the school agrees to relinquish its charter at the end of the following year.
“If the school is successful in meeting the ambitious conditions set as part of the charter continuance, it will be a great outcome for the students and families at Potomac Prep,” said Scott Pearson, PCSB’s Executive Director. “Tomorrow we will be celebrating at IDEA PCS a school that was in a similar situation three years ago but executed a remarkable turnaround. We hope we can have a similar celebration at Potomac Prep PCS in the not too distant future.”
At its November 17 meeting, the PCSB Board voted to initiate revocation proceedings with Potomac Prep’s charter for its history of poor performance. A series of visits to the school took place after the November 17 action, along with a public hearing held on December 10. Based on this, PCSB developed the conditions that formed the basis of tonight’s decision.
Under the School Reform Act, PCSB has the discretion to revoke the charter of a school that is not meeting its goals. However, at the 15 year expiration of a school’s charter, PCSB has no discretion – it may not renew the charter of a school that is failing to meet its goals.
Potomac Prep PCS is located at 4401 8th St NE in Ward 5 and has been operating since August 2005. The school serves 435 students in PK3 through grade 8th.
Under conditions approved by PCSB, school is expected to improve its academic performance.