Parents urge Board to approve Carroll Classical charter application; speakers cite grant and waitlist

Two parents told the Carroll County Board of Education on May 14 that the Board should approve the Carroll Learning Alliance’s application to open a classical charter school in the county.

"A charter school that embraces this approach gives students a real choice to learn in a setting that values depth over shortcuts and wisdom over noise," said Grama Watson, who identified herself as a parent of two young children and a supporter of the Carroll Classical model. Watson told the board the Carroll Learning Alliance had been awarded more than $1.6 million in federal subgrant funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (the Maryland Momentum Project) to launch the proposed school.

Another parent, Joni Gutierrez Palko, said she supports the proposal because it would provide a tuition-free classical option for families who cannot afford private school and would help meet projected growth in areas such as Eldersburg. Gutierrez Palko told the board she and other organizers have run multiple information sessions and said a wait list exceeds 200 students.

A third commenter, Josh Wilhite, said he is not categorically opposed to charter schools but questioned the timing while budget work is underway and raised concerns about class-size caps for a charter versus the district. He also said he had obtained a list of titles removed from district libraries and described that practice as banning books; he urged the district to do a better job addressing library challenges.

Board response and next steps: The public comment period concluded without Board action on the charter application that evening. The Board did not deliberate or vote on the application at the May 14 meeting; any formal approval or denial would follow the district’s charter application review process and state law procedures.