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Church Decides To Convert 7 Schools

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The Washington archdiocese said it was talking to several potential charter operators, who would apply to the D.C. Public Charter School Board to convert the schools. Sources familiar with the process said the archdiocese has asked for written proposals, which were submitted as late as last week and are under review.

The archdiocese said it plans to announce the operator by the end of this month.

Weitzel-O'Neill estimated that, as charters, the schools could get up to $15,000 for each of the 1,147 students, which could mean they would receive about $17 million in public funding.

Thomas A. Nida, chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said a charter conversion application from the archdiocese would probably be an attractive proposal because unlike startup schools, the converted schools have an academic track record and buildings where they already operate.

"I can't think of an issue that would be a non-starter for us," Nida said.

Staff writer Jacqueline L. Salmon contributed to this report.

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