Durham school dropped from charter takeover list

ISD Superintendent Eric Hall made the announcement at Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting. He is still considering four other schools for the ISD, which will take some of the state's lowest-performing schools and hand them over to charter school operators to try to improve their performance. They are:

Of those, Hall is expected to choose two this year for inclusion in the ISD, with the approval of the state board in December. Board member Becky Taylor suggested only choosing one school this year, saying it would be "an opportunity for us to do it right." Hall will make his final recommendations at next month's state board meeting.

In a statement Wednesday, Durham Public Schools Interim Superintendent Aaron Beaulieu said he was "pleased to learn that the ISD noted the progress that Lakewood Elementary and Durham Public Schools are making."

"We hope that the next time we hear from the ISD, they will have drawn the same conclusion about Glenn Elementary. We support all of our schools," Beaulieu said.

The schools are being considered because their student performance ranks among the lowest 5 percent in the state.

"We’re seeing proficiency rates that are quite concerning," Hall told state board members, noting that, across the board, three out of four students at the schools are not academically proficient.

If the chosen schools do not cooperate with the state’s decision, the only other option, by law, is to shut the school down.

"I know it's a tough conversation," Hall said.