NC renews two low-performing virtual charter schools. See how long and why.

North Carolina’s original two virtual charter schools will be allowed to stay open for another five years despite being among the lower academic performing schools in the state.

The N.C. Charter Schools Review Board voted 7-3 on Monday to extend the charters for North Carolina Cyber Academy and the North Carolina Virtual Academy through June 2031. Both schools have been popular with families even as they’ve been labelled by the state as continually low-performing since they opened in 2015.

“We’re renewing two schools for five years that have been continually low performing for all 10 years and have not met growth, except one school for one year, and yet the enrollment is almost 2,500 in one and 4,000,” said Rita Haire, a Review Board member. “Do they not understand the quality of education that’s being delivered?”

Both virtual schools were among 37 charter schools whose charters were renewed on Monday. Nearly a fifth of the state’s more than 210 charter schools have charters that expire in June.

Virtual Academy did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment from The News & Observer. Cyber Academy said it was working on a response.

Virtual charter performance ‘not acceptable’

Charter schools are taxpayer funded schools that are exempt from some of the rules that traditional public schools must follow.

Both Cyber Academy and Virtual Academy opened in 2015 as the state’s first two remote charter schools. It was part of a pilot program created and extended by state lawmakers.

Demand has exceeded the supply of seats even though 2023 at the Virtual Academy was the only time either school didn’t get a D performance grade from the state. They have also not met academic growth expectations on state exams nearly every year.

“Looking at these grades, that’s not acceptable,” said Hilda Parlér, a Review Board member.

Questions were also raised about how the rainy day fund has reached $16 million at Virtual Academy and $9.7 million at Cyber Academy.

“Their academic performance isn’t grand,” said Todd Godbey, a Review Board member. “If they’e truly got $16 million in the bank, why aren’t they using that to make academic performance better for their students?”

But Bruce Friend, chair of the Review Board, pointed to how both virtual schools attract students who transition in and out throughout the school year. He said that’s a reason why online charter schools are treated as alternative schools in some states.

“I don’t disagree about holding schools accountable for their performance,” Friend said. “But I’d caution about an apples to apples comparison.”

All-or-nothing decision on charter school renewal

The same state law that allowed charter schools to operate remote academies like traditional public schools also gave Cyber Academy and Virtual Academy the option to request renewal.

But Review Board members said state lawmakers had limited their flexibility by only giving them the option to approve or reject a five-year renewal. In contrast, the Review Board can grant renewals of three to 10 years for brick-and-mortars charters as well as not renew them.

“If a brick and mortar schools were in front of us with that kind of academic performance, we would pick them apart to understand all of those pieces to hold them accountable for it,” Godbey said. “We need to be able to do that with those schools.”

Friend, Stephen Gay, Eric Guckian, Haire, Lindalyn Kakadelis, Eric Sanchez and Shelly Shope voted for the five-year renewal. Godbey, Gerald McNair and Parlér voted no.

North Carolina charter school renewals

These brick-and-mortar charter schools were renewed on Monday:

10-Year Renewals

• Clover Garden
• Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy
• The New Dimensions School
• Concord Lake STEAM Academy
• Davidson Charter Academy
• The Institute for the Development of Young Leaders (IDYLL)
• Wake Preparatory Academy
• FernLeaf Community Charter School
• Bradford Preparatory School
• Commonwealth High School
• Pioneer Springs Community School
• Stewart Creek High School
• Unity Classical Charter School
• Telra Institute
• Moore Montessori Community School
• Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW)
• KIPP Pride Collegiate Preparatory
• Roxboro Community School
• Faith Academy Charter School
• Cardinal Charter Academy

7-year renewals

• Thomas Academy
• Gate City Charter Academy
• Success Institute Charter School

5-year renewals

• Crosscreek Charter School
• Next Generation Academy
• Summit Creek Academy
• Classical Schools of Wilmington
• American Leadership Academy-Coastal
• Union Day School
• Raleigh Oak Charter School

3-year renewals

• Asheville PEAK Academy
• The Experiential School of Greensboro
• Iredell Charter Academy of Arts and Sciences
• American Leadership Academy-Charlotte
• Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology

The state board tabled votes until February for Old Main STREAM Academy, which is recommended for a 10-year renewal and for Rocky Mount Preparatory, which is recommended for a three-year renewal.