Hope Public Schools

HOPE – The reluctance of the Arkansas Department of Education Charter Authorizing Panel to embrace the innovation of the Hope Collegiate and Professions Academy as a conversion charter school resulted Thursday in the Hope Public School District withdrawing its application for the charter.\r\n

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The action came as the ADE panel met in Little Rock on Thursday.\r\n

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Hope Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart said that, while he was disappointed by the panel’s reticence, the unique concept would be pursued by the HPSD.\r\n

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 “We are appreciative of the panel’s interest and questions around the Academy concept, and are looking forward to a strong and vibrant partnership with UAHT moving forward,” Dr. Hart said.        \r\n

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Meanwhile, the University of Arkansas-Hope, which has been in partnership with the HPSD in the development of the proposed grades 10-12 academy, issued a statement about the development, which read in part:\r\n

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“That withdrawal was based on the panel’s suggestion that the mission of the Collegiate Academy could be more efficiently achieved as a school within a school instead of a conversion charter campus. The development of the project will continue to move forward under the panel’s suggested design.”\r\n

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Both Dr. Hart and UAH Chancellor Chris Thomason told the Hope School Board on Monday that educational the innovation within the model makes the HCP Academy a unique educational concept in Arkansas.\r\n

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“This is a very innovative model; it is not even like the Arkansas School for Math and Sciences in Hot Springs,” Thomason explained to the Hope board.\r\n

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A tenth grade pilot cohort of the Hope Collegiate and Professions Academy for the proposed grades 10-12 academy is already housed in the Rapert Library Center at UAH.\r\n

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Hart said the pilot class of 23 students includes eight students who moved to the HPSD in order to attend the academy. The model adheres to a collegiate level semester class schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Tuesday, Thursday classes as found at any college or university, and the high-school level classes are taught by UAH faculty, but with the rigor of college-level study.\r\n