Drayton Hall Elementary in limbo on $2M charter question

Drayton Hall Elementary stands to gain about $2 million more a year by converting to a charter school, but Charleston County school officials say giving it that money would adversely impact the district’s other schools.

The school board deadlocked in a vote this week on whether to approve the school’s conversion to charter status, and money was the central issue. School Superintendent Nancy McGinley recommended that the board not approve the conversion; and four members — Elizabeth Kandrac, Gregg Meyers, Arthur Ravenel Jr. and Ray Toler — voted against her recommendation. Board member Ann Oplinger, who wasn’t at the meeting, could not be reached for comment.

The tie vote means that the West Ashley school can’t move forward as a charter school, but board Chairwoman Toya Green plans to call a special meeting next week for the board to discuss and vote on the issue again. If the board fails to break its tie vote within the next week, the school’s charter automatically is approved.

Charter schools are public schools governed by elected boards of parents and community members. The state funding formula requires that charter schools receive per-pupil money based on the district average. The reason Drayton Hall receives less than average is because the district allocates varying amounts of money to schools based on factors such as their size and the poverty level of students. Switching to a charter would give Drayton Hall about $2 million more annually.

Charter schools have become a divisive issue because of this funding formula. Some say charter schools simply are getting the money they deserve, but others say they could put the district in financial peril. Both Orange Grove Elementary Charter and James Island Charter High, the district’s two schools that became charter, received more money by converting.

Drayton Hall’s request comes at a financially difficult time for the district, which has been trying to figure out ways to handle mid-year budget cuts while bracing for future ones. The district also is trying to save money by planning to close or restructure schools.

If the district has to reduce its budget by another $2 million, McGinley said other schools would be affected. It’s unfair to communities to be told their schools need to close while an existing, high-functioning school receives extra money, she said.

“It’s about fairness and equity,” she said.

Board member Gregg Meyers said he was sympathetic to the district’s position; but Drayton Hall’s principal answered the most important question — that he would bet the school’s charter that he could improve test scores the way he projected — and Meyers said he was inclined to give the school a chance as a charter. He said he’d like to see the district be more aggressive in holding charter schools accountable for their results, and he isn’t committed to voting the same way on this issue next week.

“I’m really on a razor’s edge on this,” he said. “I’m still in play. My mind can be changed.”

Green supported the district’s recommendation because she said the district needs to be fiscally responsible and act logically, and to allow Drayton Hall to receive a $2 million windfall when other schools are being considered for closure would be “unconscionable.”

“I think, taking all of these factors, the board needs to keep a macro-view of the district and act in the best interest of all the schools,” she said.

Drayton Hall Elementary Principal John Cobb did not return requests for comment.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546