Contact: David Papke Phone: (775) 846-2201 NEVADA PERFORMANCE ACADEMY PRESS RELEASE NEVADA PERFORMANCE ACADEMY TO POSTPONE OPERATION New Charter School’s Governing Board Votes to Delay Start by One year Carson City, August 8, 2013: The Nevada Performance Academy, a new state-sponsored free, public charter school slated to open in Carson City on August 26th, has decided to delay opening until 2014. The school will seek official approval to postpone operation from the State Public Charter School Authority. “Our thanks and our hearts go out to all the families who have signed up so far and who helped us design the program,” said the school’s governing board president and former state superintendent of public instruction, Dr. Eugene T. Paslov. “This was no easy decision, but it was essential to our vision that we have adequate funding in order to guarantee proper implementation,” he added. Public schools, including public charters, are funded on a per pupil basis. “Frankly, the numbers just weren’t adding up,” Paslov continued. “Our unique program that combines face-to-face instruction with online learning, arts-infused curriculum in common core subjects, a wide array of free extracurricular hands-on classes in the performance, digital, and media arts, and scholarships for earning dual credit at the college, needs a minimum number of students to operate successfully. We just felt that the number we targeted to make it all come together wasn’t going to happen this year,” Paslov added. This is not the first time the school has dealt with adversity, according to the school’s governing board vice president, Denise Gillott. “There’s a core group of us that have been chasing this dream for years,” Gillott explained. “When we finally got approval to open this year we were sure we were on our way, which is why it’s especially hard to make this decision, even though we know it’s the right one,” Gillott added. The school, which began enrollment May 1, expects to be allowed to try again next year. “There’s a system in place for just this type of situation, so we don’t expect any problem in delaying over the fall and winter and getting back into the things in the spring,” David Papke, the school’s executive director, noted. “Really, even though I feel so desperately bad for our families and students, I have to admit that the extra time will make us even better next year,” Papke added. “Arts-integration in online learning, with a blended approach and strong hands-on options, isn’t happening anywhere else, so more time to craft the vision means every facet of the program can be tweaked and improved.” Dr. Paslov expressed confidence that the school will overcome any remaining obstacles next year. “Our families are deeply disappointed, but they are telling us they will be back. And, our partners, Western Nevada College, the Brewery Arts Center, and the Carson City Library, have already expressed their commitment to stay the course,” Paslov explained. The Nevada Performance Academy is hosting an event Friday, August 9, at 5pm at the Carson City Library to answer questions and address concerns related to the Board’s decision, and to begin planning for the next year. FOR RELEASE 9 A.M. PST, DECEMBER 13, 201221MORE
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 21:43:09 +0000