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Two public charter schools received approval from the state’s Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB) this week to operate remote charter academies, with launches planned for each of the next two years.
The CSRB approved the remote academies for ArtSpace Charter School and Wilson Preparatory Academy at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 10. ArtSpace plans to open a regional blended academy in 2026, while Wilson Preparatory will launch a statewide virtual academy this fall.
At least eight remote charter academies are now slated to operate during the 2025-26 school year, with the addition of Wilson Preparatory. The CSRB approved two of the academies last month. Five other academies launched in 2024, the first year legislation allowed charters to apply for remote academy approval. In addition to these new remote academies, two standalone fully virtual charter schools — N.C. Cyber Academy and N.C. Virtual Academy — also operate statewide.
Even more growth may be coming. Two remote charter academies that were approved last year ended up deferring. Their intentions for the upcoming school year should be confirmed within the next month, according to Julie Whetzel of the Office of Charter Schools (OCS).
In total, more than 2,600 students are currently being served by the state’s remote charter academies, based on student accounting data from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Whetzel said.
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At its March meeting, the CSRB also approved a three-year renewal term for Movement Freedom. In a separate vote, all four North Carolina charter schools in Movement’s network, including Movement Freedom, secured CSRB approval to partner with Movement Schools, Inc., a charter management organization (CMO).
In addition, two new CSRB members were sworn in at Monday’s meeting: Lindalyn Kakadelis, the former executive director of the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools, and Jeremy Wall, the principal of Maureen Joy Charter School.
As a N.C. House appointee, Kakadelis will serve as a voting member, filling Dave Machado’s unexpired term. (Machado announced his resignation from the CSRB in January, to serve as the next executive director of the NC Coalition for Charter Schools.) Wall, as state Superintendent Mo Green’s appointee, joins the CSRB as a non-voting member.
As a former member of the Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB) before a 2023 law converted it to the CSRB, Kakadelis is a veteran of charter school oversight. Wall, a seasoned educator, is a relative newcomer. Both expressed their eagerness to collaborate and serve.
“It is a delight for me to be back,” Kakadelis said. “I’m going to be counting on all of my colleagues to help me get up to speed.”
“I’ve enjoyed getting to dedicate my life to education and the learning that comes along with that,” Wall said. “This is a very new experience right here as well, sitting in this particular seat, and so I’m looking to glean as much as I can…. and contribute however possible.”
More on remote charter academy plans
Prior to CSRB’s votes, ArtSpace leaders outlined their plans to open the Spark Learning Center, the school’s remote academy serving Buncombe and nearby counties.
Creating a different name for ArtSpace’s remote academy was intentional, said Dr. Sarena Fuller, ArtSpace’s executive director. The academy name reflects Spark’s separate student cohort, she said, and is also evocative of the school’s core ideals.
“One of our founding members wrote on a napkin in a restaurant — when this idea was hatched for a school back in 2000 — that ArtSpace was to be audacious and bold and to spark a joy of learning,” Fuller said. “And we’ve taken that to heart.”
The school plans to develop an adjacent parcel of land to serve remote academy students while they are on campus, Fuller said. Next year will be a planning year, and Spark will open in 2026 with 75 students in grades 6-8.
ArtSpace hopes to meet a growing need for flexibility, she said, tapping into the region’s homeschooled and unschooled students. Many families are moving toward flexible schooling options for mental health and other reasons, ArtSpace’s remote learning plan noted:
There is a growing mental health crisis among school-age children. In the years since COVID, ArtSpace has had 60 students withdraw to pursue homeschooling, private schools, or virtual learning as they sought support and recovery for mental health needs. Furthermore, families are increasingly opting for virtual learning due to the flexibility it affords them as caregivers in an ever-evolving working world.
ArtSpace remote learning plan
Spark will operate as a blended or “face-virtual” model, offering synchronous and asynchronous remote learning along with flexible onsite programming and instruction.
CSRB members were supportive of the school’s planning year and capacity to deliver blended instruction.
“Just thinking of the things that are happening at that school already, it’s hard to say no to someone who wants to continue to be innovative,” said John Eldridge, CSRB vice chair.
“I think you guys are poised to do a good job,” added CSRB Chair Bruce Friend. “And I really do appreciate the fact that you are going to take a year of planning.”
Leaders from Wilson Preparatory Academy also shared their remote academy plans at the meeting.
Wilson Preparatory, which is accredited by the global Cognia network, was the first K-12 blended learning charter school in Wilson, said Daryl Woodard, the head of school. In addition, the school was in the top 20% for academic growth in 2023-24, according to Monday’s presentation.
Wilson Preparatory’s remote academy plan includes serving 100 students across the K-12 spectrum during its first year.
That plan elicited some concern from Friend.
“I tend to think that they can do it, but I’m really cautious and careful about this, out of the gate, K through 12,” he said. “I think that’s a big lift for your remote academy.”
The CSRB also asked about the school’s plans to operate statewide.
“Because of our success that we’ve had academically, athletically, and just holistically, people call us from all over,” Woodard, the head of school, said. “And so, this would be a blessing to a lot of people who are trying to attend a school that is accredited and has the reputation of having academic success.”
CSRB member Hilda Parlér said she felt confident the school could carry out its plan.
“If the proposals look solid… this is the way I think remote academies should work,” CSRB member Alex Quigley said of the school’s plan to deliver remote instruction using faculty rather than an online education provider.
“Homegrown, local — I think we have a lever to hold schools more accountable,” he said. “I like the idea, if we’re going to do this, (of) doing it out of existing charter schools and growing it that way.”
Friend also reminded CSRB members of the structural and governance parameters outlined for remote charter academies in the 2023 law.
“When a remote academy is approved, it’s not its own charter,” he said. “It’s approved as its own school number under the existing nonprofit board.”
Both remote charter academies secured unanimous approval from the CSRB.
A three-year renewal for Movement Freedom
Before approving Movement Freedom’s three-year renewal term, the CSRB heard from members of Movement’s board and senior leadership. The CSRB had previously delayed Movement’s renewal vote twice due to a late audit submission, financial management concerns in the audit, and a desire to hear directly from school leaders.
Laetitia Dowd, the CFO for Movement Schools, Inc., shared steps the school had taken to remediate issues, such as strengthening the financial team and changing auditors and the school’s partner for back office support.
Jennifer Bennett, the senior director of School Business Services at DPI, commended Movement’s progress.
“I do applaud them for making some very proactive measures,” she said.
However, Bennett said she will conduct her own follow-up before releasing the school from the audit finding or compliance, in order to ensure appropriate follow-through.
CSRB members were reassured by the school’s actions.
“The financial stuff sounds like it’s being addressed, the academics are moving in the right direction,” Eldridge said. “I hope that that’s what continues to happen.”
“I think they’ve got the right people,” added CSRB member Eric Sanchez. “I think the ship will get rectified.”
A CMO agreement and other amendments
The Movement network’s four North Carolina charter schools also requested and secured CSRB permission to contract with Movement Schools, Inc., a CMO. The CMO’s services include curriculum development, leadership training, student recruitment, financial management, and regulatory compliance, according to Movement’s amendment request.
“By leveraging the operational efficiencies and academic expertise of Movement Schools, Inc., we are positioning our school to expand its impact, close opportunity gaps, and deliver a high-quality education to our students,” the four Movement principals and board chair wrote in the request.
“What we are looking to do is create successful schools,” Garrett McNeill, the interim board chair for the four N.C. Movement schools, told the CSRB. “We feel like, as a board, that going the CMO route — going with Movement Schools, Inc., in particular — is going to put us in the best position to create a successful outcome for our students and their families.”
Quigley said he was excited to see a “homegrown” CMO modeled after CMOs he’s spent time working with across the country.
“I know a number of these people, and they’re top-notch,” he said.
In addition to approving Movement’s CMO partnership, the CSRB also approved requests from three charter schools — Socrates Academy, Uwharrie Charter Academy, and Willow Oak Montessori — to update their mission statements. The schools asked for the updates to provide closer alignment with their philosophies or policies, or to make wording more succinct.
Stipulation school updates
Two stipulation schools, the last of this year’s cohort, updated the CSRB on their efforts to address conditions placed on them for renewal. Both schools are up for renewal again in 2026.
Dr. Stacey Owens, the executive director at Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology, shared improvements the school has made over the past two years.
“We just basically streamlined a lot of the instruction since we last were here,” she said.
Z.E.C.A. met growth in 2023 and 2024, Owens and OCS said, and is making progress on compliance issues.
“From the last time you were here until today, I sense a theme of organization and common language that you guys are trying to grab a hold of,” Eldridge said. “I appreciate the work that you all put into this.”
Next Generation Academy leaders also outlined improvements in areas such as training, financial management, reporting, and debt reduction.
The school has secured nearly $1.9 million in grant funding since 2023. In July, Next Generation was moved from financial noncompliance disciplinary status to probationary status, according to OCS.
Continually low-performing schools
Leaders from Oak Hill Charter School, Arapahoe Charter School, and PreEminent Charter School also appeared before the CSRB to provide performance updates. All three are currently identified as continually low-performing schools. Although Arapahoe is no longer a low-performing school, it was for two of the last three years, meaning it has retained the continually low-performing label for another year.
Low-performing schools have earned D or F school performance grades. Continually low-performing schools have been low-performing for at least two of three consecutive years. Here is the definition from OCS:
Currently, one-third of the state’s charter schools are low-performing or continually low-performing, according to the OCS presentation.
Here is the table from OCS. LP stands for “low-performing” and CLP stands for “continually low-performing.”
Meggan Eckerd, the principal of Oak Hill Charter, said the school had moved from an F in 2023 to a D in 2024 and also met expected growth.
“You have your challenges for sure,” Friend said. “But this is a much-needed school in the community that they’re serving.”
Arapahoe Charter School, which launched in 1997, was one of the first charter schools to open in North Carolina.
The school’s academic comparability with nearby districts is improving, leaders said, and its performance grade has risen from a D to a C.
“Thank you for that work that you guys did because it’s showing great results,” Eldridge said.
Finally, Stephanie Solomon, the principal of PreEminent Charter, highlighted the school’s academic proficiency improvements in four out of five student subgroups over the past year. PreEminent has met or exceeded growth for the past three years.
Solomon’s team-centered approach earned praise from CSRB member Rita Haire.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things — but also the fact that you gave commendations to your staff and acknowledged that one person can’t manage all of this, but that it takes a really strong team” Haire said. “I encourage you to continue that mindset, very inclusive of everyone.”
Other CSRB business, and an update on a charter appeal
OCS also provided the board with an update on revisions to the 2026 charter application. CSRB members will review proposed revisions at the next two meetings, with plans to vote on a finalized application in June.
In addition, OCS Executive Director Ashley Baquero gave a recap of the State Board of Education’s recent action on a charter appeal.
In January, the CSRB voted not to renew the charter for Community School of Digital and Visual Arts (CSDVA) in Durham, citing financial and noncompliance concerns. The school appealed that decision to the State Board of Education (SBE), and on March 4, a committee comprised of three State Board members heard the appeal.
Following the hearing, the appeals committee recommended that the matter be remanded back to the CSRB for additional consideration. On March 6, the full SBE approved the committee’s recommendation.
In her update, Baquero outlined the specific motion approved by the SBE:
The State Board respectfully requests that the Charter Schools Review Board further consider this matter at its April 2025 meeting by addressing the following items:
- The results of the Community School for Digital and Visual Arts’ FY 2023 audit and the anticipated FY 2024 audit;
- An expected detailed plan from the school for addressing all of the current and documented deficiencies noted by the Office of Charter Schools and the Charter Review Board;
- Whether the school has met the requirements for a minimum charter renewal;
- Whether there has been evidence of immediate serious attention to improving the school operations; and
- Whether the school has demonstrated it will be successful going forward.
The CSRB will consider the CSDVA appeal again at its April meeting.
Finally, while two new members have joined the CSRB, a current member, Alex Quigley, is leaving after this month. Quigley has served on the CSRB and the former CSAB for nearly a decade.
“It has been an honor and privilege to be on this board for so many years,” Quigley said. “I’ve gained a lot more than I’ve given — from being with all of you and all of the applicants and the schools… I truly love it, and it has been a joy.”
“You’ve been a stalwart… of ensuring high-quality charter schools,” Friend said. “In the time that I’ve been on this board, Alex has always had that as his North Star.”
The CSRB meets next on April 7.
Editor’s Note: EdNC has retained Kristen Blair to cover the monthly meetings of the Charter Schools Review Board in 2025. Kristen currently serves as the communications director for the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools. She has written for EdNC since 2015, and EdNC retains editorial control of the content.
