With the September 1st deadline to identify a viable site for the new school quickly approaching, the board of Chesapeake Public Charter School (CPCS) made an announcement about their new facility on Sunday.

CPCS was granted a charter in March with the proviso that they submit a suitable site plan and secure a facility by September 1st

Kate Sullivan gets excited about plans for the new charter school            - The Bay Net Photos by Anna Bedford

Now CPCS has an identified site they will present a letter to Dr. Martirano and the St. Mary’s County Public Schools Board of Education. The school board will then place the proposition on their agenda for a future meeting.

“By all appearances [this site] has every indication that it can be made into a viable site,” said Kate Sullivan, Chesapeake Public Charter School’s Acting Administrator. By December 31 the plan must be finalized and accepted, and the CPCS board hopes to have permits in place.

“We should be getting feedback on our plans in the next couple of weeks,” Sullivan told The Bay Net, Sunday. “Next we’ll cost it out, and then send it to the Department of Planning and Zoning, for permits,” she explained. “We plan to get it to the Department of Planning and Zoning by the end of September and get permits this year.”

The site in question, it was revealed on Sunday, is the property of Tom Watts, of Raley, Watts Insurance, and chairman and CEO of Maryland Bank and Trust, and Big Blue LLC. The building is located on Great Mills Road. “It’s a big blue building,” joked Watts, “It took us a long time to come up with the name [for the LLC].”

“We’re trying to participate in the redevelopment of Lexington Park,” Watts told The Bay Net. “The State spent a lot of money building up Great Mills Road, and it’s one of the main arteries to the base.”

Tom Watts holds up an image of what CPCS  is proposed to look like

“It will be completely gutted and engineered to their specific needs,” said Watts of the 23,000 square foot wing now designated for St. Mary’s County’s first charter school. “I believe there will be nine classrooms, teachers’ offices, [in addition to] art and music rooms,” he told The Bay Net.

“The vision for the charter school – the long term vision – requires this commitment to larger square footage, and we’re making a commitment to that long-term vision,” said Watts. “There are a lot of hoops you have to go through – the school board, fire marshal, the State,” he continued. He envisions the school making their home in the Big Blue building for the next decade. “They’re planning to open with grade 1 to 4, but maybe up to 8th grade in the long term. They’ll be 275 to 300 students, I’ve heard, although these are just numbers I’ve heard bantered about,” Watts said.

“I think it’s a really exiting thing to add to Great Mills Road,” enthused Watts. “It could stimulate other investments on Great Mills. It’s becoming an increasingly busy road, and it needs investment,” said Watts. “Investment for profit and for the good of the community. […] That part of Great Mills Road has been languishing behind as the rest of the county developed. Something needed to spark a reinvestment in that part of the county.”

Watts cited the increasing traffic to the base and between St. Mary’s City and Leonardtown as one of the reasons that particular section of Great Mills Road is in need of attention and investment. “Most of the development has been on 235,” he said. “We’re attempting to build an infrastructure, to build that diversity and depth and quality. The charter school fits with that.”

The architect presents plans for the charter school

“It’s very effective,” Tom Watts said of the charter school model. “All kids can’t sit still. I was one of those. I was a jumping bean,” he recalled. “It’s good to have untraditional alternatives.”

“A charter school is a unique blend of public and private. We’re autonomous in that we choose our own board and our own curriculum and teaching methods. But it’s a public school very much so in that it uses public money and cannot charge tuition,” Sullivan explained.

“Any children that go to our school, number one: their parents will choose for them to go to the school, and number two: it may be they only choice for them in the community – private school, parochial school, is not a choice for them because they don’t have the funds to pay the tuition,” Sullivan continued.

The new site is preferable to a previous possible location for CPCS, which was at a rural church, somewhat removed from local children, and that also posed some scheduling challenges for the planned joint usage. The new facility on Great Mills Road will accommodate a diverse student body – part of the mission of the charter school is to close the achievement gap by assisting students ill-suited to traditional educational models. It will provide 23,000 square feet over three floors, with elevators for handicapped access. Sullivan also envisions the students using the central section of the building which houses a gymnasium, while supervised, and plans for an activity room on the lower level, and a school garden on the premises.

To help cover the cost of setting up equipment and furnishing the school, the CPCS board is planning several fundraisers in upcoming months. On September 10th there will be a dinner for the business community (by invitation only), in October a similar event for the military in the community, November will mark a large fundraiser for the new school, and in December or January there will be a further dinner for those involved in Maryland education. The events are being sponsored by Lisa and Michael Kelley, proprietors of the Broome Howard Inn.