I was the author of the charter and founder of Sussex Academy in 2000. From its inception, we operated on the mantra that all operations/decisions were based on the individual or collective needs of the students. After I retired in 2004, I kept track of the school’s data over the years just out of concern that it may have drifted apart from its mission.
The starkest drift was the near elimination of special education. Several students over the years had been denied admission due to their status as learning disabled; that began to show up on the school’s public data. Within a decade, the school had fewer than 2% special education; the average for a district is 10% (not counting the districts that serve specialized severe disabilities for the county like Indian River’s Ennis School or Cape’s Sussex Consortium). The current academy enrollment of special needs is 8.5%, and there are three or four staff members who operate solely on their behalf.
The second indication that “student oriented” has returned is the implementation of AP classes instead of IB classes. Both are academically advanced programs, but Advanced Placement students can garner enough college credits to eliminate a whole semester of college ... and at no cost. International Baccalaureate is scholarly but guarantees no transfer of college credits.
The third concern I had, treatment of teachers, appears to have turned more positive, too. You see, charter school teachers have no teacher unions and the protections thereof. When I was there, our goal was to support teachers and to make the atmosphere of the staff as a unified group. After I left, there were firings every year, and teachers had no rights.
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