Mississippi's Charter School Experiment Going Backwards
Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board votes to revoke SOAR College Preparatory City Academy's charter
The state's charter authorizer has moved to shut down SOAR College Preparatory City Academy after finding grounds for revocation under state law.
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) took up the matter during its regular meeting Oct. 27, after returning from closed session. The board chair, Candace Hunt, told members, "The board also adopted the proposed final order that it adopted on October 26, 2026, finding by a preponderance of the admitted evidence that grounds for revocation have been established under Mississippi Code Section 37-28-33-70 A and C." The action finalizes a vote taken the previous day. Under the board's order, SOAR's charter terminates and the school must cease instructional operations by Dec. 31, 2026, according to the record of the meeting.
Before the vote, a representative for the school urged the board to reconsider, pointing to an independent audit that the representative said showed far more cash on hand than board staff had reported to members. The board proceeded with revocation despite that objection.
Charter revocation is considered the most significant action an authorizer can take against a school, and school choice remains a priority in state education policy, making the case a test of whether Mississippi's charter accountability system functions as intended. The discrepancy raised by the school's representative — between the audit's cash figures and what board staff presented — leaves open questions about whether the board's final order will hold up against that independent audit once it is examined in full.