The deal was approved by the CPS board of education Monday. East End Community School plans to educate up to 450 students in kindergarten through 12th grade within five years. John Rothwell, CPS' charter schools manager, said the school's program of studies will focus on the East End's Appalachian heritage and efforts to reduce the neighborhood's high dropout and truancy rates. Official dropout rates for the East End stand at 49 percent, Mr. Rothwell said. Community members and the district say a K-12 school could help reduce attendance problems, which tend to crop up after the eighth grade.
Charter schools receive public funding from the state but operate separately from local districts.
They are run by nonprofit organizations. Cincinnati has five charter schools approved by the state with an enrollment of 1,800. As of January, Ohio had 47 charter schools with 10,000 students. Three new charter schools were approved by the CPS board in January, making Cincinnati the first district in Ohio to create its own charter schools. Cammie Montgomery, principal at East End, said the school will work with CPS administrators.