RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — The first charter school in Kentucky could be coming to Madison County as early as next year.
The applicant, Gus LaFontaine, has filed his application with the Madison County Board of Education and is eager to share details of the proposed school.
“As a charter school, we’re required to follow safety and non-discrimination policies when it comes to the rules that govern these types of schools, but after that, there's a lot of leeway to exercise innovation and think outside the box and try different styles of education,” said LaFontaine.
LaFontaine first opened LaFontaine Prep School in Richmond 12 years ago. Since then, he’s wanted to convert the private school to a K-8 charter school, but Kentucky didn’t allow such schools until the passage of HB 9 last year.
“This work has been a process for many years to pass meaningful charter education legislation in Kentucky,” said LaFontaine. “It's been a slow road, but recently, the state legislature passed another measure to propel charter schools forward, and since then, we've been working on our charter school application to become what could be Kentucky's first charter school.’
According to LaFontaine, the proposed school, LaFontaine Charter Schools, would offer class sizes 20% smaller than Kentucky statute, 20% more instructional time, and increased teacher pay.
“I think most of us want to see our children succeed in Kentucky,” said LaFontaine. “This is my take on how to do that, but if someone doesn't agree on that philosophy or strategy, that's okay.”
For years in Kentucky, charter schools have been a contentious topic. While LaFontaine blames the divide on a difference in philosophy, some say it’s all about funding.
“Charter schools, in essence, come in and take public money and use it for a small percentage of our students,” said Susan Cintra, president of the Madison County Education Association.
If LaFontaine’s application is approved, the charter school would receive a mix of local and state tax money and Cintra worries about the schools in the district that she believes are already severely underfunded.
“Fund them, period. Adequately fund them the way they're supposed to be funded, then we would have the opportunity to do all the things charter schools say they want to do. Fund us and let us do that. Taking money away doesn't help the situation,” said Cintra.
According to Cintra, none of Madison County’s public schools received failing grades on the state’s most recent report card release.
She said, “Even on the budget we have, students are excelling. We are showing growth and pushing boundaries. Are there gaps? Absolutely, but if you take money away, that’s the money going towards addressing those gaps. What charter schools essentially are, is a solution looking for a problem,” said Cintra.
You can find the application for LaFontaine Charter Schools here.
On Tuesday, December 5, the Madison County Board of Education will host a public forum at 6 p.m. regarding the application.
The meeting will be held at the district's central office on Highland Park Drive and is open to the public.
