Organization aims to draw more charters schools to Rowan County

LANDIS — A group called Lighthouse Alliance Charter Schools is hosting multiple informational meetings this weekend to discuss with the public its plans for attracting more charter schools to Rowan County.

“We invite all of the public to these meetings to get an understanding of our mission,” a release from the organization said. “The meeting will consist of a 30-minute presentation followed by questions.”

There will be two meetings on Saturday. The first will be held at 10 a.m. at the First Reform Church Of Landis, located at 210 N. Central Ave., Landis. The second one will take place at 2 p.m. a the Rowan Public Library East Branch, located at 110 Broad St., Rockwell.

The release indicated that a third meeting will be held during the week following.

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, charter schools are public schools of choice that are authorized by the State Board of Education and operated by independent non-profit boards of directors.

State and local tax dollars are the primary funding sources for charter schools, which have open enrollment and cannot discriminate in admissions, associate with any religion or religious group, or charge-tuition. Charter schools operate with freedom from many of the regulations that govern district schools, but charter schools are held accountable through the state assessment and accountability system.

The release for Lighthouse Alliance Charter Schools, which is currently operating as a 501(c)(3), said that the meetings will serve to educate parents on how they can help give their children hope for the future.

The release also indicated Lighthouse Alliance Charter Schools will begin by not building new facilities.

“We are currently looking for churches, facilities or organizations to host our schools,” the release said. “Our goal is to open two schools in the 2025-26 school year. All facilities will be paid for their use.”

The release also provided an outline for the group’s vision of school structure.

Primary schools: “K-6 will emphasize basic education without the use of computers through the 4th grade. Students will be introduced to computers in the 5th grade with limited use for  projects. Students will learn how to do research with books vs. google searches.”

Middle school: “7-9 will have a heavy emphasis on history and civics. Students will be immersed in the founding of our country and the united states Constitution as it was created to be.”

High school: “10-12 one high school will be a technical training center and draw expertise from our communities. Graduates will be able to graduate with job skills for immediate use in  the work place. The second high school will offer a classic education for those students to transition to universities.

“The alliance will work to integrate home school families into the system. We’ll work with the community to offer job placement and recruitment fairs.

“Higher crime rates, exposing residents to greater risk of trauma and deaths from violence and the stress of living in unsafe neighborhoods. People with less education, particularly males, are more likely to be incarcerated. This is a trend that can be reversed.”

For additional information, email LighthouseAllianceNC@gmail.com.

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