MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Montgomery’s first charter school most likely won’t open in 2018 after a judge rules it didn’t receive enough votes for its application.
The Alabama Education Association sued charter school LEAD Academy after the Alabama Public Charter School Commission in February approved the charter school in a 5 to 1 vote. The association claimed six votes were necessary to pass.
Montgomery Circuit Judge J.R. Gaines ruled Tuesday in favor of the association.
Associate Director Theron Stokes said in an emailed statement the association will “fight all attempts to illegally divert public school dollars from Alabama classrooms to out-of-state, for-profit, charter school corporations.”
The school’s chairwoman Charlotte Meadows said “it’s a sad day for our students” but “this is not the end of a charter school in Montgomery.” She said she’s looking at legal options but the start date may be delayed to 2019.
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The headline of this article has been recast to clarify.
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