Lake Charles College Prep granted charter renewal

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Wednesday unanimously approved a three-year renewal of Lake Charles College Prep’s charter agreement.

Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, president of the board of trustees for the Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy Foundation, said the school worked diligently to meet the parameters for a long-term renewal. BESE gave the school a one-year renewal this time last year.

“I commend our administrators, teachers, parents and students for their hard work over the past year to accomplish the school growth that is recognized by the renewal of our charter,” he said.

BESE’s approval, along with the school’s plans to build a new facility, ensures that LCCP “is now a permanent educational choice for our community,” Thibodeaux said.

He said LCCP plans to break ground on its new, state-of-the-art high school facility next spring.

A charter school’s existence is tied to strict compliance requirements outlined by the Louisiana Department of Education, Sabrah Kingham, director of education, said. Every aspect of a charter school is examined annually by the state department, including academics, finances and organizational systems.

“It’s very rigorous,” Kingham said. “You have to fall within a certain range in order to be renewed, and that’s why we’re so grateful.”

Based on the feedback the high school received last year during its state review, the school has implemented new leadership, a more rigorous curriculum and a new educational service provider, McNeese State University, to ensure its campus-wide success.

“We have worked very hard,” Kingham said. “Yes, we’re excited, but we know that we have to keep going because we’ve got to meet the standards for our students.”

Thibodeaux and Kingham both applauded McNeese’s Department of Education for working with the high school on its road to renewal and into its future. Kingham said the college provides LCCP staff with weekly professional development to ensure teachers are up to date with the latest trends in education.

“The collaboration with our college is strengthening our community and keeping us very current,” she said.

Kingham added that the renewal of the charter agreement is a reminder for families in its “sister” pre-K through eighth grade schools that choice in public education will continue in Southwest Louisiana.

“We want to see our kids come through our charter schools pre-K through high school,” she said.