This August, when Chatham County students go back to school, parents will have a new option for high school: a charter school that promises nontraditional teaching methods to help students graduate.
As administrators race to finish renovations to the building located at 325 W. Montgomery Cross Road, the head of the new REACH Public School says the symbol of the new school’s approach can be found as students walk through the front door. Dubbed “the Bullpen,” that area is where students and teachers check in to discuss the customized and individual learning progress of the first 75 teenagers who are expected to start on Aug. 3.
REACH partnered with Propel Education Group, an organization that has supported similar charter schools in California. Propel’s Enrollment and Engagement Strategy Director Kelly Bishop said the model supports students of all backgrounds and needs outside of a traditional school.
A student’s day can include a mix of internship and part-time work blocks, independent study, digital learning and traditional classroom lessons with around 15 students. With the flexible model, students are enrolled in classes depending on their credit needs.
“This is a new model for Savannah, and so it’s going to take time for the community to understand the model,” Bishop said. “We’ve done outreach to other high schools and high school counselors and parents, and the district has been very supportive of our process of getting set up.”
The school will be led by executive director Richard Reynolds, who has previously served in teaching and various leadership roles in Ohio and North Carolina public schools. REACH will be his first charter school.
Reynolds has worked closely with Savannah-Chatham County Public School System to integrate the new charter model with the school system.
The model is something that the school system had already been discussing when REACH submitted their petition, according to Shakeria Smith, the charter school liaison for the school district.
Smith said the charter review panel approved REACH last August because the petition showed readiness in finances, operations and alignment in making sure there is an educational fit for students of all backgrounds.
“(REACH) is designed around flexibility, personalization, and different pathways to earning the diploma, rather than the traditional model,” Smith said. “They’re all going to get the same diploma. It’s just going to look different as to how they get it.”
Bishop said around 40 students are enrolled to start on Aug. 3, with 12 full-time staff. He hopes that student numbers will rise to 75 before the first day of school. By the end of the first year, he projects enrollment to be around 200.
REACH will admit any student who lives within the district and meets age and grade requirements until the school hits its enrollment cap of approximately 500 students. At that point, the school would transition to a random lottery selection.
The model supports students of all backgrounds and needs outside of a traditional school. Some profiles that could be a fit for REACH include those who are behind or ahead on credits, require additional English language learning or special education, parenting and working part-time.
Because of the flexible model, students can enroll at REACH throughout the school year without falling behind in classes.
“Whether they are a technical ninth grade student or eleventh grade student, if they both need the same science class, they can both be in that science (class),” Bishop said.
Teachers serve in both advisory and classroom roles. No matter the type of schedule, all students will meet with their advisory teacher at least twice a week in groups up to 8 students to check-in on course work, grade progress, curriculum understanding and direction for further support.
“There’s more people with eyes on them, more people showing attention to the student — direct attention — and so that can be a really great asset for a student who just needs a little more support to be successful,” Bishop said.
Part of the enrollment initiative throughout the school year is soliciting referrals from other schools in the district from counselors and faculty.
For now, however, enrollment is expected to remain low, as parents and teachers learn about the school.
One challenge for some potential students in the short term will be transportation, according to Bishop. Because students are on independent schedules with varying start and end times, he said traditional school buses were not a financially viable option for transportation.
Instead, REACH has recommended students to utilize the Chatham Area Transit system, as the school is located close to CAT’s Route 14. CAT currently offers charter school students free student passes.
New school orientation for registered students and parents will be held in the last two weeks of July.
Bishop said he hopes the school will be ready to host a ribbon cutting and open houses for interested families and school partners likely later in August or September.
Interested students and parents can find apply online and find more information about the school on their website at www.reachpublicschools.org.
Standing in the middle of ongoing renovations, Reynolds said he was excited for the start of the new school year and building a school culture from the ground up.
“If we walk in the door and we believe in kids, now kids will see how responsive we are to them, and they’ll see us as a team,” Reynolds said.
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