FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Drew Johnson, Chief Communications Officer
803-622-0824
State Charter District Approves New Innovative Charter Schools to Provide Students and Families with Innovative Choices
COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 28, 2023) – The South Carolina Public Charter School District State Charter District Board of Trustees has approved three new innovative charter schools, which will provide students and families with more choices for their education. These new schools will be in addition to the four innovative schools that the State Charter District State Charter District Board approved on April 20, 2023, making a total of seven new schools that will open in the next two years.
The newly approved schools are Pee Dee Hall, Sea Island Heritage Academy, and Summit Academy: Learning in a Digital World. They will provide a broad range of educational approaches, including digital learning and project-based learning, to help bridge the achievement gap and provide unique educational opportunities for all students.
“These new charter schools, equipped with cutting-edge and purposeful personalized learning models, have demonstrated a strong commitment to narrowing the achievement gap between low-performing and high-performing students, in line with the objectives of the South Carolina Charter Act. Their mission and vision perfectly complement our District’s goals as we collectively strive to put all kids first,” said Superintendent Chris Neeley.
Board Chairman John S. Payne added, “We are confident that these applicants will be successful schools dedicated to providing quality education to their students across the state. Over the past two weeks, the Board is proud to have approved seven diverse applicants from across the state, ranging from the Low Country to the Pee Dee to the Upstate. These individuals demonstrated a capacity for teaching and commitment that met our standards for excellence. We, as a Board, have fulfilled our mandated responsibility to review, deliberate, and vote on charter applications, and we believe that we have approved the seven best in the state at this time. We are confident that these applicants will be successful schools dedicated to providing quality education to their students.”
About the South Carolina Public Charter School District: The South Carolina Public Charter School District authorizes, champions, and supports the creation and advancement of innovative K-12 public charter schools in South Carolina. We value all students’ unique talents and abilities and hold high expectations for social, emotional, and academic growth inclusively within the diverse population we serve.
###
