Mississippi Charter Board Denies Funding Request From Global Academy
The state's charter school authorizer voted to reject a contract amendment from Mississippi Global Academy after the school enrolled far fewer students than it had projected.
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board took up the request at its regular meeting Sept. 28. Agency staff told the board the school had projected roughly 200 students for its first operating year but brought in a small fraction of that figure, producing a shortfall agency staff put at more than a million dollars heading into the next contract year. The board's chair, identified in the meeting record as Candace Hunt, summarized the panel's position: "The recommendation would be to deny this request... ask Mississippi Global to resubmit... a more realistic number for the upcoming years," she said. The board gave the school until November to submit revised projections ahead of an October vote.
The dispute illustrates the gap between a charter school's enrollment promises and its actual performance, a gap that affects not only the school's current budget but the following year's state funding allocation as well. The board's decision leaves Mississippi Global Academy to rework its numbers before seeking approval again.