The Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB) met on Monday and Tuesday for its December meeting. The CSRB took a number of actions, closing Monroe Charter Academy immediately for operating illegally; approving two charter applicants and denying two others; and interviewing schools in the 2026 charter renewal cohort. Here’s a recap below.
Monroe Charter Academy’s closure
The CSRB voted to terminate Monroe Charter Academy’s charter, effective immediately, citing reasons outlined in N.C. General Statute 115C-218.95. The school received CSRB approval last month to relocate from Union County to Mecklenburg County but had not secured a valid educational certificate of occupancy for its new facility. Monroe Charter began operating remotely before Thanksgiving and had exceeded the number of remote instruction days allowed by state statute.
Learn more in EdNC’s deep dive coverage of the CSRB meeting.
Charter applicants
The CSRB has finished interviews for charter applicants in the 2025 application cycle. Seventeen charter schools submitted applications in this cycle. Five withdrew and 12 moved forward with interviews, according to the Office of Charter Schools (OCS).
This month, the CSRB approved Somerset Preparatory Academy NC and Celeste Beauty Academy. Both schools will now enter the Ready to Open (RTO) process. The CSRB denied applications for Cape View Leadership Academy and Myrtis Simpson Walker Academy.
View the OCS presentation on charter applicants.
Renewal presentations
The CSRB continued to hear presentations this month for schools in the 2026 charter renewal cohort. Thirteen schools clearly meet statutory criteria for automatic 10-year renewals, while OCS is recommending two more for 10-year renewals. Those two schools came before the CSRB this month, as did seven other charter schools (in addition to Monroe Charter, outlined above).
See the OCS presentation on renewals.
Voting on renewals will take place in February and March, according to OCS.
Amendment
Finally, the CSRB also approved an enrollment reduction request from Centerpoint Classical Academy. The school is currently in the RTO process and plans to open in August 2026.
RTO (Ready to Open) changes
Ashley Logue, director of OCS, said this week that she would take another month to collect and compile feedback on potential changes to the RTO process. She plans to hold a public session in January to share more about the RTO process, and she will solicit feedback on ways to improve it.
The CSRB meets next on January 12-13, 2026.
Above photo: Shutterstock.
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