I don’t speak for Responsive Education Solutions (ResponsiveEd), nor do I have any pecuniary interest in the nonprofit organization.

I am a father of public school students who initiated an open-enrollment public charter secondary school in West Little Rock, who joined other parent leaders in choosing ResponsiveEd of Lewisville, Texas as the school’s charter management organization, and who has remained one its parent advocates.

On May 8, 2014, the Arkansas State Board of Education will hear the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts’ appeal of the Charter Authorizing Panel’s unanimous decision to allow Quest Middle School of Little Rock to change locations from 1815 Rahling Road to 400 Hardin Road.

Here are the facts:

• In the summer of 2013, in advance of the completion of the application of Quest Middle School of West Little Rock, I recommended consideration of the property at 1815 Rahling Road as a potential location.
• The Open-enrollment Public Charter School Application for Quest Middle School of West Little Rock was submitted in advance of the September 3, 2013 deadline and included 1815 Rahling Road as the proposed location.
• Section C. 16 (p. 30) of the 93-page application asked about the proposed facility, which was listed as 1815 Rahling Road.
• Attachment 7 (p. 81), the one-page Open-Enrollment Public Charter School Facilities Utilization Agreement, described 1815 Rahling Road as 22,563 square feet, with a proposed lease rate of $496,386 per year for ten years.
• On November 14, 2013, the Charter Authorizing Panel unanimously approved the application.
• On December 16, 2013, the State Board of Education, in a 5-2 vote, agreed to hear the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts’ appeal of the Panel’s decision. Both districts objected to the school’s proposed location on Rahling Road.
• On January 10, 2014, the State Board of Education, in a 6-2 vote, affirmed the decision of the Panel. That final decision created the charter (contract) between the school and the State of Arkansas.
• On January 20, 2014, I first learned that the owner of the property at 1815 Rahling Road had increased the proposed lease rate by approximately 25%, an amount greatly exceeding the charter’s annual budget as submitted in its approved application.
• On January 20, 2014, I first learned of the possibility of purchasing 400 Hardin Road (51,000 square feet) as an alternate location.
• On January 21, 2014, I first joined ResponsiveEd officials in a tour of the alternate location.
• On March 21st, the Charter Authorizing Panel unanimously approved the change in location to 400 Hardin Road, a potential savings of approximately $250,000 per year over the originally proposed location lease rate.
• On April 10th, the State Board of Education, in a 6-1 vote, agreed to hear the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts’ appeal of the Panel’s unanimous decision to approve the change in location. Both districts objected to the change from Rahling Road, a location they had also opposed.
• On May 8th, the State Board of Education will hear the appeal, a little over 90 days before classes must begin.
• At present, over 180 students have registered to begin classes at Quest in August 2014.
• Locating at Rahling, if still even possible, would exhaust the approximately $6,300 per-pupil State foundation funding for 97 students. With current enrollment at just over 180, that’s 54% of all State funding just for facilities. In a best case scenario, if the school reaches its cap of 220 students, that’s 44% of all State funding.
• Since Quest’s approval, the Pulaski County Special School District has again exempted from the Public School Choice Act, denying residents outside the district the opportunity attend its schools, though many are closer to PCSSD schools than those in their resident district.
• Since Quest’s approval, the Little Rock School District has rezoned West Little Rock students for Henderson Middle School, since 2011, a Needs Improvement Priority School, one of the 42 lowest performing schools in Arkansas.

ResponsiveEd cannot help that the owner of the originally proposed location increased the lease rate by approximately 25% beyond its proposed budget. That’s what happens when a potential public charter school is required to identify a proposed location in its application nearly one year before any revenue may be generated. It puts the school at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to negotiating and/or finalizing a lease rate and/or purchase price.

ResponsiveEd, as responsible stewards of public dollars, did its due diligence, found appropriate, affordable space in another location, and proposed the location change to the Charter Authorizing Panel, which unanimously approved the change.

ResponsiveEd cannot help that the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts, which also opposed the school’s originally proposed location on Rahling, requested that their appeal be heard on the approved change in location. ResponsiveEd also cannot help that the State Board chose to hear it.

The open-enrollment public charter for Quest Middle School of West Little Rock was created on January 10, 2014. The newest Arkansas public school exists. In the over 90 days since approval, it has registered over 180 students and hired employees, including a campus director, who is relocating his family from Texas. Much remains to be done, including finish out of the facility, recruiting/hiring/training of faculty and staff, preparation of the school and classrooms, and contracting of vendors.

The law requires that Quest open for the 2014-15 school year. Hopefully, the Arkansas State Board of Education will see through the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts’ cynical attempt to deny by delay.

Quest Middle School of West Little Rock may be the only public school in Arkansas, past or present, without a location. Hopefully, that will be corrected on May 8th.