Mid-Del board moves to not sponsor Visionary Pathway charter application
Summary
Board members recommended against authorizing sponsorship of Visionary Pathway Schools, citing an underdeveloped funding plan and overlap with existing career-tech offerings; a motion to deny the district's sponsorship was made and seconded; the transcript does not show a roll-call tally.
The Mid-Del Board of Education reviewed an application from Visionary Pathway Schools seeking the district's sponsorship and discussed whether the district should assume the sponsor role. A board member who identified themselves during discussion said the application read as a concept more than a complete operational plan and noted the applicant had not identified funding sources or clearly established partnerships.
"I feel like it's a concept of a plan. I don't feel like they've really figured out where all of them they know what grants they're going to apply for, but they don't have their funding," the board member said while recommending the district vote not to approve authorization. The member also questioned whether the district wanted the responsibility of sponsoring a charter school it would not govern.
The board debated options, including whether the applicant would reapply, or instead pursue sponsorship through the statewide charter school board or a partnering higher-education institution. The transcript records a motion to deny the Visionary Pathway Schools application that was seconded; members discussed that the applicant could instead seek sponsorship from the state board or resubmit after revisions. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote tally for the denial motion; presenters said staff would send board comments to the applicant.
