On Nov. 12, members of the Liberty Tree Classical Academy, a proposed charter school in Falcon School District 49, held a public meeting at the Meridian Ranch Recreation Center. The schoolís charter proposal has been presented to the D 49 board of education and is awaiting approval. LTCA will start out with kindergarten through eighth grade classes, and add one grade per year through 12th grade.Ronnie Wilson, president of the LTCA founding board, provided background information on the school concept. The Barney Charter School Initiative grant will partially fund the charter school. The Barney grant is awarded to startup charter schools through a partnership with Hillsdale College, and the grant makes LTCA a Hillsdale Affiliate school.Burton Hands, LTCA board member, said the distinction LTCA has as a Hillsdale-Affiliate classical charter school means Hillsdale staff will train LTCA teachers and staff onsite for two weeks before the school opens, and also provide a pool of principal and teacher candidates. Additionally, Hillsdale will send staff to the LTCA campus at least once a year to observe classes and school operations at no cost to the school, he said.Michelle Morin, LTCA board member, discussed LTCAís enrollment policies and processes. Initially, a lottery system will be required to fill spots. ìAt the start, there will be 27 students per class and two classes per grade,î Morin said.LTCA does not have a definitive site for their facility, but a strong possibility is a space on Eastonville Road between Stapleton Drive and Judge Orr Road, Wilson said. The site is owned by Gathering Stones Church and already zoned for a school, he said.A 12,000-15,000-square-foot modular provided by Eagle Creek Modular Solutions will initially house the students and teachers, Wilson said. ìWe hope to open in the fall of 2017,î he said. ìWe have pursued that from the start, and now believe we are in a strong position to do so.îThe LTCA board is holding another public meeting at the regular D 49 board of education meeting Dec. 15, and the BOE will make a final decision about the charterís application by mid-January 2017, Wilson said.ìWe believe that every child deserves a great education, and we want to invest in this community specifically,î he said.
