Millennium Charter Academy’s board of directors has approved a proposal to expand the academy to teach grades K-12.

According to Headmaster Kirby McCrary, an ad hoc steering committee was formed several months ago to study the feasibility of the proposal. The school served grades K-4 beginning in 2000 and had a proposal to expand to teaching the fifth grade approved in 2001. Millennium received approval to expand to teaching K-8 in 2006.

If the academy received a yes from the state board in February 2013, the school would open the ninth grade in the fall of 2014 and would add an additional grade each year afterwards for the remaining three years. In its first year, the school hopes to take on around 40 to 60 students and two to four staff members plus a college counselor. Higher than anticipated enrollment numbers would require more staff.

“The request for approval will next go to the State Board of Education for consideration,” explained McCrary. “We expect a response from them this February.”

McCrary indicated the board formed a feasibility committee in October 2011 and has met every two weeks since that point to study the matter and determine in terms of enrollment what would be economically feasible for the school.

He said that if the proposal is approved by the state, it would require an expansion of the current facility. McCrary said no concrete plans have been decided on for the location of the proposed facility to house additional students. He said other issues that the feasibility committee has studied included projected enrollment, additional support services, staff and faculty that would be needed, marketing, student class schedules, curriculum, mission and vision for the school and character education for high school students.

The proposed expansion would be funded from the academy’s own operational budget or through a combination of private and government sources other than county funds.

McCrary said the proposed expansion would be geared up as a college preparatory school.

The proposed high school programming would probably build on a classical model of liberal arts education tied to the developmental level of students at particular grades. McCrary said the curriculum also will meet state requirements for core curriculum and also include educational clusters, or elective subject options.

McCrary explained that these clusters will probably offer students the opportunity to concentrate on science technology engineering and math concentrations, an arts and humanities concentration or an entrepreneur concentration. He added that one expectation of the high school would be that all students apply for college.

Reach David Broyles at dbroyles@heartlandpublications.com or 719-1952.