Top flight education coming soon to base

  • Published
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Base families with middle school students are one step closer to an alternative education choice with the Arkansas Board of Education's approval to expand the charter of Jacksonville's Lighthouse Academy Charter School.

The board voted, 4-2, to allow the school to amend its charter and build a satellite campus on Little Rock Air Force Base to house a middle school. The school is planned to begin classes in fall 2011 at the old conference center on Cannon Drive.

A public input meeting for the new middle school is set for Aug. 23 at the Jacksonville Community Center.

"This is an important opportunity for base families to have their voices heard and to learn about this alternative education opportunity," said Col. George Coggins, 19th Mission Support Group commander.

"The charter school will offer an expanded, more responsive educational opportunity for the local community and Team Little Rock families at large," the colonel added.

Community leaders, led by Mike Wilson, a Jacksonville lawyer and former state representative, filed a charter school letter of intent June 24 with the Arkansas Department of Education to amend the school's charter.

Mr. Wilson's organization evaluated several charter management organizations and chose Lighthouse Academy based on its curriculum and record. Lighthouse Academy currently operates a charter school for grades kindergarten through 6 in Jacksonville. Academy staff filed a proposal with the Arkansas Board of Education, asking for approval to amend their existing charter and secure additional classroom space on base.

In a recent meeting with Arkansas DoE members, Arkansas Public School Resource Center members and Jacksonville community leaders, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe expressed his support for the charter school project.

"We look forward to the future partnership with charter school officials and our community partners as we go forward in this educational endeavor," Colonel Coggins said. "Little Rock AFB is proud of its long-standing relationship with the city of Jacksonville and central Arkansas."

Local community leaders are confident the new charter school will provide the educational opportunity needed here.

"[The charter school is an] opportunity to provide a choice for parents and students in public education and to provide a top-flight college prep curriculum," Mr. Wilson said.

Once a lease is finalized with the Air Force, it will be submitted to the Arkansas BoE for review. The BoE wants to ensure the cost of the lease won't wreck the charter school's budget.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate outside of the control of a local school district but are still held to the state's academic standards by the state's board of education.

The Jacksonville Lighthouse charter runs through 2013.