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Lindalyn Kakadelis Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Jul 30
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EdNC: Deep dive on charter enrollment and trends

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Pine Springs Preparatory Academy in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Bruce Friend/EdNC.

EdNC has published a new deep dive on charter enrollment and trends. The article addresses where charter enrollment growth is occurring in North Carolina right now–and it also shares how the state stacks up nationally for schools and students.

We include an article excerpt below.

As a new school year dawns, North Carolina’s charter sector is poised for robust, continued enrollment growth. Yet experts point to increasingly high hurdles for new charter schools, with facility acquisition and increased competition for students topping the list. Established, rather than new, charter schools are the primary drivers of enrollment growth now, as obstacles to opening and other K-12 changes reshape the sector.

“The challenges of getting open are vast,” said Ashley Baquero, the executive director at the state’s Office of Charter Schools (OCS). She is seeing more delays from schools in the charter pipeline, as they struggle to find and finance facilities and hit enrollment targets.

Meanwhile, established charter schools with facilities, funding, and reputational capital continue to expand.

“The data has shown that the schools that have been around a little bit longer tend to be the ones that are growing — where a lot of the new enrollments are coming in,” said Bruce Friend, chair of the state’s Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB).

During the 2024-25 school year, state charter enrollment increased to 153,480 students, according to the new annual charter schools report from OCS. This figure represents a 6.1% annual enrollment uptick and an overall increase of 8,845 students since 2023-24.

Charter demand continues to outpace supply: 77% of state charter schools reported waitlists last year, totaling 74,287 students.

Somewhat paradoxically, however, the number of charter schools in 2024-25 declined for the first time in 14 years, dropping to 208 schools from 211 the year before. This is the first school downturn since state lawmakers removed the cap on charter school growth in 2011.

Only two new charter schools opened last year: ALA Monroe and Riverside Leadership Academy. Together, they accounted for 6.5% of the total annual enrollment increase, based on final Average Daily Membership (ADM) figures.

See the rest of the article from EdNC.

Read more

Jan 16
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Coalition announces new executive director

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Lindalyn Kakadelis will retire as executive director of the NC Coalition for Charter Schools on Feb. 1, after more than 30 years as a North Carolina education policy leader and advocate. Longtime charter leader Dave Machado will succeed her in this role.

The Coalition announced the leadership transition in a press release this morning. We share these leaders’ backgrounds and quotes from the press release below.

Lindalyn Kakadelis

Kakadelis began her career as a teacher, later serving on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education. She also held leadership roles at the North Carolina Education Alliance, the Children’s Scholarship Fund, and the John Locke Foundation. In addition, she served as a founding board member of Queen’s Grant Charter School in Charlotte. She helped launch the Coalition in 2018, becoming the organization’s executive director in 2018.

Dave Machado

Machado, who begins his new role on Feb. 1, has decades of experience in charter school leadership and policy. He served as chief administrator of Lincoln Charter School from 2002 to 2016. After that, he led the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Charter Schools from 2016 to 2020. Since 2020, Machado has been North Carolina State Superintendent for Charter Schools USA. He has also served as a member of the state’s Charter Schools Advisory Board (now Charter Schools Review Board) from 2022 until his resignation this week.

Lindalyn Kakadelis said this about her career in education and K-12 advocacy:

The past 30 years of work haven’t really been work at all. Since I was an elementary school teacher, and especially when I became a mother, I’ve known that students have a better chance of flourishing when parents have a choice in which school their children can attend. Moving school choice forward has been a passion and a calling since then, and I’m wonderfully grateful to everyone I’ve met along the way.

Dave Machado said this about Lindalyn and his upcoming role with the Coalition:

I’ve known Lindalyn for many years, and her reputation as a tireless and passionate advocate for charter school students is well-earned. I’m excited to lead the Coalition into this next chapter as we continue to protect and promote North Carolina’s public charter schools, educators, parents, and students.

Jonathan Bryant, chair of the Coalition’s Board of Directors, thanked Lindalyn for her leadership and service:

This organization would not exist without Lindalyn, and the charter school landscape in North Carolina would not be what it is today without the decades of advocacy she has poured into it. Lindalyn’s work has touched the lives of tens of thousands of students, many of whom will never know it. From the bottom of my heart, I offer Lindalyn a collective ‘thank you’ for her service to this state.

Lindalyn, we appreciate your hard work and devotion in so many ways, and we will miss you!

Welcome to the Coalition, Dave! We’re excited to have you with us.

 

 

Jan 07
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Mo Green is sworn in as NC Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Maurice “Mo” Green is officially the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Superintendent Green was sworn in last Wednesday, January 1, at the Hayes-Inman Education Center in Jamestown (Guilford County). He was sworn in by the Honorable N. Carlton Tilley, Jr., Senior U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina. An attorney himself, Green once clerked for Tilley.

Mo Green is sworn in as N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction on January 1, 2025. Photo: Lindalyn Kakadelis.

Green’s remarks included the following comments, according to a press release from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI):

“After more than 20 years of working in education, I am humbled and honored that North Carolinians have chosen me to lead our public schools,” Green said. “I believe that North Carolina’s public school system desperately needs a bold vision, direction and, ultimately, a plan that can galvanize all North Carolinians. Achieving Educational Excellence and becoming the best public school system in the country is my vision for North Carolina’s public schools. We can realize this vision by combining high academic achievement and strong character development with a relentless pursuit of excellence.”

According to DPI, Green’s vision for the state’s public schools includes these six pillars:

Prepare each student for their next phase of life.

Invest in public schools by fully funding public education.

Revere public school educators.

Enhance parent and community support.

Ensure safe, secure learning environments.

Celebrate the good in public education.

Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, attended Green’s swearing in. She is pictured below with Superintendent Green.

During her conversation with Green, Lindalyn said that the Coalition looks forward to working with him. He responded by saying that he looks forward to working with the Coalition. Congratulations, Superintendent Green!

Lindalyn Kakadelis with State Superintendent Mo Green. Photo: Lindalyn Kakadelis.

Nov 26
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Deep dive on the diversifying charter sector nationwide

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As we’ve noted earlier, the charter sector is diversifying at both the state and national levels, with more Black and Hispanic families turning to these public schools of choice. A recent blog post from Jennifer Diaz at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools takes a deep dive on the significant uptick in charter enrollment among Hispanic students. Findings are from the Alliance’s recent enrollment report, Do You Know Where the Children Are? A Five-Year Analysis of Public School Enrollment.

We share some excerpts from Diaz’s analysis below:

Hispanic enrollment in charter schools has soared, increasing by more than 200,000 students in the past five years alone—a staggering growth rate of 18.69%. Today, one in every three charter school students in the U.S. is Hispanic, underscoring their increasing presence and influence within the charter school landscape.

… Hispanic students are now the fastest-growing demographic in U.S. public schools, reflecting broader demographic shifts. With their significant presence in charter schools, Hispanic families are signaling a preference for educational environments that offer flexibility, innovation, and responsiveness—qualities that charter schools often embody more effectively than traditional district schools.

Read Diaz’s full enrollment trend analysis here.

North Carolina trends

Recent Alliance data for North Carolina show charter enrollment increases are due primarily to an increase in Black and Hispanic students. Here, Hispanic enrollment growth is growing exponentially faster than it is nationally. Last month, the Coalition sent out a press release highlighting Alliance findings. As the release noted:

Black and Hispanic students are largely driving the enrollment gains in North Carolina charter schools.Over the past five years, Black student enrollment grew by 23.8% and Hispanic student enrollment grew by 53.5%, compared to 11.3% for White students.

Regarding those findings, Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, noted:

“Charter schools complement district schools by offering parents a choice in their public education. For some children, the local district school is a perfect fit. For others, the innovative options and teaching styles at a public charter school make more sense. Either way, our goal is to maximize the chances for each North Carolina student to reach his or her full potential.”

Above: Shutterstock photo

Nov 21
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NC lawmakers pass charter school growth funding

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Lawmakers returned to Raleigh on Tuesday for the first time since the election. That day, the House voted to override Governor Cooper’s veto of House Bill 10, a mini-budget with public charter and district enrollment growth funding, among other things. Yesterday, the Senate voted to override the veto.

The Coalition yesterday released a statement thanking lawmakers for enacting House Bill 10 into law. As the statement notes about House Bill 10:

The measure includes critical enrollment growth funding for all public schools, including public charter schools. Without the funds in House Bill 10, growing public schools would have had to continue educating new students with a fraction of the funding they expected. Some public charter schools, especially newer schools that enrolled more students this year, would have had to take out loans to meet payroll without the additional funds.

Lindalyn Kakadelis, executive director of the Coalition, said, “Thank you to state lawmakers for solving the enrollment growth funding challenge facing public charter schools this year. Our member schools have been anxiously awaiting resolution to this issue, and lawmakers delivered.”

Read more about the measure from EdNC.

Above: Shutterstock photo.

Oct 31
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Sup. Truitt Wins Champion for Charter Schools Award

By Awards, News

On Tuesday, state charter leaders presented Superintendent Catherine Truitt with a “Champion for Charter Schools” award. Lindalyn Kakadelis, executive director at the Coalition, and Rhonda Dillingham, the executive director for the NC Association for Public Charter Schools, presented Truitt with the award at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh.

Rhonda Dillingham (left) and Lindalyn Kakadelis (right) present State Superintendent Catherine Truitt (center) with a “Champion for Charter Schools” award on October 29, 2024.

A press release from the NC Association for Public Charter Schools noted:

This annual award honors bipartisan state policymakers who are making an exceptional difference for charter school families and communities in their state and who go above and beyond to shape students’ futures for the better.

…”Our state’s charter schools are grateful for Superintendent Truitt’s support, particularly her advocacy on behalf of charter schools with the State Board of Education and the General Assembly during her tenure,” said Rhonda Dillingham, Executive Director of NCAPCS.

“In both word and deed, Superintendent Truitt has supported the diversity of education options that public charter schools offer children and parents. We’re grateful for her partnership, and for helping create an environment in which parents can choose a school that best helps students meet their full potential,” said Lindalyn Kakadelis, Executive Director of the NCCS.

“It is imperative for lawmakers at all levels of government to support policies to create and sustain high-quality charter schools if they want to make a difference for students and the future of our country. The National Alliance is grateful for the ways these elected officials have been responsive to the students and families they serve by promoting more public school options, robust flexibility and accountability for those options, and increased funding and resources for these unique public schools. Without their support, the charter school movement would not be where it is today. This year’s honorees have fought for our students and deserve our gratitude and praise,” said Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President for Advocacy and State Support at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Sep 19
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Durham’s North Oak Academy breaks ground, plans 2025 launch

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North Oak Academy, a new public charter school launching in Durham, North Carolina, broke ground on a facility last Friday. Part of the successful National Heritage Academies network, the K-5 charter school is slated to open to students next fall. Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, and Lee Teague, a Coalition lobbyist, joined school leaders for Friday’s groundbreaking.

Left to right: North Oak Academy Board members Wendy Ji, Gerald McNair, and Kelsey Armstrong attend the school facility’s groundbreaking with Lindalyn Kakadelis and Lee Teague on September 13.

Cory Olsen, senior communications specialist at National Heritage Academies, provided the event write-up below:

A bit of rain and mud couldn’t keep excited school leaders away from the groundbreaking of North Oak Academy in Durham, North Carolina. It’s National Heritage Academies’ 16th school in the state and is slated to be open for the start of the 2025-26 school year.

The site, located on the northeast side of Durham, was previously a drive-in movie theater. NHA Director of School Quality, Steve Pond, said he can’t wait to see students in the building, creating new memories and starring in their own educational journeys.

“This school is going to be a wonderful addition to the surrounding community,” Pond said. “I’m especially encouraged by the passion, commitment, and engagement shown by North Oak’s Board of Directors. The board has demonstrated a high level of resilience and perseverance over the past few years, and they have confidently stood with NHA to successfully overcome challenges and obstacles in their path.”

Pond was joined at the groundbreaking by school board president Gerald McNair, director Wendy Ji, and director Kelsey Armstrong. North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools Executive Director Lindalyn Kakadelis was also in attendance.

Sep 12
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Lawmakers pass enrollment growth funding for charter schools

By Legislation, News

North Carolina lawmakers this week approved a mini-budget bill with much-needed funds for growing public schools, including charters. The measure, House Bill 10, includes $95 million in recurring funding for K-12 enrollment growth, among other things. The Senate passed the bill on Monday, and the House approved it yesterday.

Why is this funding necessary? This year, the state moved to a new funding model (“funding in arrears”) which pays schools based on last year’s enrollment. Enrollment growth is to be covered by a contingency reserve.

EdNC explains:

In 2023, lawmakers also enacted a new funding in arrears model for K-12 public schools. This means funding is now based on the previous year’s enrollment, rather than projections. Lawmakers and officials from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) have said this model gives more budget certainty to schools.

However, the new enrollment growth account balance only has $2.5 million it it, [House Speaker Tim] Moore said in a press release this week, “less than 5% of expected funding necessary to meet the needs of K-12 enrollment growth for this year.”

“Therefore, the mini budget allocates $95 million to meet this critical need for our growing public schools,” Moore said.

Like most bills, House Bill 10 includes a variety of provisions. In addition to funding public K-12 enrollment growth, the bill also provides additional funds for community colleges and the Opportunity Scholarship Program, and includes other components.

Now, the governor can sign or veto it–or allow the bill to become law in 10 days by not taking any action. The Coalition has urged the governor to allow the bill to become law.

In a press release distributed Tuesday before the House vote, Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, said:

Thank you to state lawmakers for coming together to propose enrollment growth funding at traditional and charter schools. Our member schools have reached out to us with great anxiety in recent weeks, because without this funding they may soon face a liquidity crisis. We respectfully urge lawmakers and the governor to ensure this funding is enacted into law.

Read more about the measure in the Charlotte Observer and EdNC.

Above: Shutterstock photo.

Aug 26
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NC charters: ‘Demand like never before’

By News

Shutterstock photo.

North Carolina’s rapidly growing charter sector has garnered some media attention lately. In case you missed it, the Coalition compiled comments and coverage in a press release last week.

From the Coalition’s release:

… Carolina Journal published a story (“NC charter schools remain fastest growing K-12 segment”) with insights from a public charter school parent: “[My wife and I] saw increased parent engagement, which helped them to be more involved [with] their kids’ learning,” Jerry Cooper, a father of two from Raleigh, told the outlet. “We also found charters to be deeply connected to the community.”

… The News & Observer published a story about strong demand for public charter school facilities: “Statewide, charter school enrollment is expected to eclipse 145,000 students this year, according to the state Department of Public Instruction, as several schools are expanding to accommodate some of the more than 85,000 students on waiting lists. . .’There is demand like never before,’ said Bartley Danielsen, a member of the Charter [Schools] Review Board.”

Lindalyn Kakadelis, executive director of the N.C. Coalition for Charter Schools, said,

Public charter schools continue to surge in popularity, complementing traditional public schools by offering innovative curricula enabling students to specialize in certain fields. Charter schools are a successful piece of the school choice landscape because of the flexibility afforded them by legislators.

In 2023-24, charter school waitlists included over 85,000 students across North Carolina.  

Aug 06
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NC charter schools: fastest growing sector of K-12 enrollment

By News

Charter schools represented the fastest growing sector of K-12 enrollment in North Carolina last year. New numbers released last week by the state’s Division of Non-Public Education show a 3.2% increase in 2023-24 homeschool enrollment and a 3.5% increase in 2023-24 private school enrollment.

By comparison, charter school enrollment last year–as reported in the News & Observer–grew by 4.9%. (More recent numbers from 2023-24 show charter growth was even higher last year–almost 5.2%.) District school enrollment, however, dropped by 0.4%.

The Coalition followed the News & Observer’s article with a press release highlighting charter growth and popularity. In the release, Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, said:

Public charter schools continue to surge in popularity, complementing traditional public schools by offering innovative curricula enabling students to specialize in certain fields. An additional 85,000 student names are on 2023-24 charter school waitlists. Charter schools are a successful piece of the school choice landscape because of the flexibility afforded them by legislators.