BANGOR, Maine — Three groups say they plan to apply for the last available charter school slot in the state.
Tuesday was the deadline to file a letter of intent with the Maine Charter School Commission for anyone interested in opening a charter school in Maine for the 2017-18 school year.
The three likely applicants are Bold Coast Academy, a charter high school that would open somewhere in Greater Portland; Wayfinder Schools, which would work with at-risk high schoolers at campuses in Camden, New Gloucester and Machias; and Peridot Montessori Charter School, which hopes to open a K-8 school in the Ellsworth area.
Peridot Montessori is a familiar name. It was one of four schools up for consideration last year going through the application process but fell short after the commission raised concerns about its long-term plan.
Wayfinder, an alternative high school formed in 2011 through the merger of The Community School and Opportunity Farm, operates as a nonprofit offering residential programs for at risk youth, as well as a high school degree program for young parents, according to its website.
Under the state’s charter school law, a maximum of 10 schools are allowed to open in the first 10 years of the law. Nine already have been approved, leaving just one slot open until that 10-year window expires in 2021.
The school organizers have until Aug. 25 to submit a full application detailing their plans for the proposed charter school. After reviewing the submissions, asking follow up questions and interviewing applicants, the Charter School Commission will vote on the applications in November and enter into contract negotiations with one of the schools. The commission also could choose not to move forward with any of the applicants, leaving the slot open for another year.
Last year, the state gave a pair of schools — Acadia Academy and Snow Pond Arts Academy — permission to open in the fall of 2016.
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