Founders of proposed Cecil County Classical Charter School seek waivers and autonomy as district presses on staffing, safety and budget

The Cecil County Public Schools Charter School Review Committee questioned the founding team of the proposed Cecil County Classical Charter School for roughly three hours on the school’s governance waivers, staffing model, special‑education supports, building timeline and projected budget shortfalls.

Jenny Hammer, associate superintendent for education services, opened the session by outlining the CSRC’s role and the interview format. Committee members then raised multiple technical and compliance questions the founding team needed to answer before CSRC completes its scoring and recommendation to the Board of Education.

Founding‑team representatives told the panel they are requesting waivers that would give the school operational autonomy over curriculum and certain hiring decisions. A representative identified in the transcript as Speaker 10 said, “We do not want oversight from Doctor Lawson or from Doctor Hammer. What we want is a collaboration. We want to be able to be a part of the hiring process so that we can make sure that our teachers, principals, and staff align with our principles and policies.” Another founding‑team speaker (Speaker 14) said the waivers are intended to preserve the school’s classical model while continuing partnership with CCPS: “It’s just to give us the ability to have the autonomy of a classical charter school.”

Panelists queried whether those waivers would conflict with negotiated collective‑bargaining language about transfer rights and letters of intent. Founders repeatedly said they do not intend to negate collective bargaining and that teachers would be CCPS employees who must meet licensing and legal requirements; they described joint interview processes and shared use of CCPS substitute pools.

The founding team described its preferred campus as Northeast Middle School and listed an approximate occupancy target of “in or on around April or May 2027.” They acknowledged the county’s surplus/transfer process (involving the Interagency Committee and state review) can take years and that the April/May timeline is optimistic. Founders said they plan a phased move‑in, will use contractors to phase renovations and would pursue grants and donations if inspections reveal repair needs beyond the $1.2 million figure cited in their materials. A committee member noted the application’s staff‑cost estimate of $3,288,590 versus the district’s estimate of $4,055,328 (plus $198,653 in related services), and asked how the school would reconcile that difference; founders said they have a grant writer and would budget conservatively, plus retain a nonprofit CPA to manage restricted and unrestricted funds.

On curriculum, founders said Hillsdale College’s materials are the top choice but that Hillsdale requires schools to be approved before allowing use of its name; they listed alternate, state‑aligned curricula in the application (including Wit & Wisdom and science‑of‑reading materials) and asserted those materials are aligned or strongly aligned with state standards and HQIM requirements. Founders also emphasized limiting screen time, adding hands‑on maker spaces and a greenhouse, and keeping class sizes near 20.

Committee members pressed the team on special‑education staffing and a chart discrepancy between earlier prospectus materials and updated staffing tables. Founders said they had revised staffing after consultant feedback, that staffing will be adjusted to match actual enrolled needs, and that they plan tiered interventions (Tier 1/2/3), paraprofessionals, contracted service providers and an escalation to formal IEPs when appropriate.

On culturally responsive teaching, the CSRC read COMAR language and asked for concrete examples of implementation. Founders said they will follow nondiscrimination laws, run an open, lottery‑based enrollment (with limited exceptions for founding families), and conduct outreach to diverse communities, foster‑care networks and other county services to broaden access.

In a performance scenario about a potentially threatening student notebook, founders described rapid removal of the immediate safety risk, individual assessment, discretionary family notification and measured public communication to avoid premature alarm while committing to notify families after facts are assessed. Founders also said they will coordinate emergency planning with local police, fire and mental‑health professionals.

The interview concluded with founders leaving a packet of supporting materials, including a founding‑families list, letters of support and a petition with 133 signatures. CSRC said it will review the written application and interview results and will provide feedback and a recommendation to the Board of Education.

Next steps: CSRC will finish scoring the written application plus capacity‑interview results; the founding team will be notified of CSRC feedback before a Board of Education presentation.