(AP) — The State Board of Education has set in motion plans for 26 additional charter schools to open in North Carolina, likely bringing the total operating in the state next fall to about 150.
The panel agreed Thursday to give preliminary charters to the schools’ organizers based on the recommendations of an advisory board that reviews applications. Six others were denied charters.
The school-choice advocacy group Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina says Thursday’s recipients include three that will open the first charters in Harnett, Halifax and Bertie counties.
The board also changed rules to help teachers qualify for higher pay for advanced degrees before a phase-out begins next year. It delayed by a month approving score levels for standardized tests that will mean fewer students are deemed proficient.