Cherokee County could see its first charter school approved in the coming year.

The state Department of Education has notified the school district about plans to establish a charter school in Cherokee County. Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by educators, parents and local residents.

A group of county residents has been meeting for several months to work on plans for opening a charter school, district finance director Ben Childs said. The state Department of Education was in the process this week of tracking down further information about the proposed charter school in Cherokee County in response to a request from The Gaffney Ledger.

“The only information we have at this point is the state has received an inquiry from a group about the application process for a charter school here,” Childs said. “We will need to plan for the possibility of a charter school while developing our budget next school year.”

Charter schools have been one aspect of public school choice in South Carolina since lawmakers approved a charter school law in 1996. The schools are publicly funded and operate free from state and local regulations in an attempt to encourage innovation in education programs.

There has been only one effort to establish a charter school in Cherokee County over the past decade.

A group of parents worked to open Pathway Charter School in 1998. After their application was initially denied by the local school board, Pathway Charter School appealed directly to the S.C. Board of Education.

The state Board of Education agreed to let Pathway Charter School open as long as its overall student population was similar to the school district’s demographics. Pathway organizers ultimately decided not to move forward with their plans.

While it hasn’t happened locally, charter schools continue to be a priority in South Carolina.

The state received a $13 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2006 to support forming more charter schools. State lawmakers passed a law that same year to allow school organizers to apply for their charters through an independent, statewide charter school district.

Spartanburg Charter School opened this year with 250 students representing five counties, including Cherokee County. Overall, there are 41 charter schools operating in South Carolina.

Charter school applications for the next review cycle are due on May 3, 2010.

State Department of Education associate Joel Medley is involved with helping local groups in their effort to establish charter schools.

“Charter schools do not receive more funding than traditional public schools. They are funded on the same basis: base student cost plus categorical funds for which they qualify,” Medley wrote in an e-mailed response to a question from The Ledger. “Bear in mind that charter schools must use those funds to cover every aspect of their operation, including facilities, which is often a rather large chunk of their budgets.”