Charter School Gets a Reprieve

"It's a rather odd order. It's not one anyone has ever seen before," said Dario Agnolutto, general counsel to the Calvert board. "I'm in the process of sorting it out. I've been talking to a lot of people. . . . I have no idea what we're going to do yet."

If the proposed charter school's application is approved, the school could open in a temporary location as early as fall 2009 for about 110 students in grades 6 through 8, Mittelman said. During the second semester, classes would move to a modular-style "green" facility on 15 acres of wooded property in Prince Frederick.

The proposed curriculum at the school would emphasize environmental studies and hands-on learning experiences, such as digging for artifacts at Jefferson Patterson Park or analyzing water samples from the Patuxent River, she said.

"Our approach is very different," Mittelman said. "Since it's so innovative, it might need some more explanation.

"We're just thrilled they saw the quality of our application," she said of the state panel's action.

At a Sept. 20 Calvert County Board of Education meeting, members voted against the application for the charter school, the first of its kind in the county. Southern Maryland's first charter school, Chesapeake Public Charter, opened this academic year in St. Mary's County and has about 160 students.

Calvert school board members say their vote was based on a recommendation from Superintendent Jack R. Smith, who said at the time that the application lacked a clear business plan, a temporary or permanent facility, and a plan for how to attract students from throughout the county.