The School District of Lancaster board of directors will hear a presentation on an application for a new charter school in lieu of its regular committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 1.
The application, from the All Football Club Lancaster Lions Corporation, proposes a charter school for 200 student-athletes, particularly soccer players, in grades 5 through 8. The school would be called AFCLL Academy Charter School.
“Whether to support the proposed charter school requires careful evaluation,” superintendent Dr. Damaris Rau said. “Although the application identifies support by community groups for the current AFC Lancaster Lions soccer team, it acknowledges that no community groups have signed up to support the proposed charter school. We look forward to the hearing on Sept. 1.”
If the School District is required to pay the charter school for 200 students, Dr. Rau said it would cost District taxpayers between $2.8 million and $3.3 million a year. The cost difference depends on the extent to which special education students, at higher payment amounts, attend the charter school.
The Sept. 1 hearing is open to the public, within social distancing and gathering guidelines. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. Community members wishing to offer public comment on the charter school application must appear physically at the school board hearing on Sept. 1. Although the hearing may be viewed by LiveStream, there will be no remote public comment. A link to the full application is below.