State's first charter school for at-risk students opens in Reno

The I Can Do Anything Charter High School, with an educational program specializing in computer training and the culinary arts, has a capacity of 225 students. Fifty-five are enrolled for the first day of class.

The public school will run independently of the Washoe County School District and the state Department of Education.

Superintendent Margaret Williamson comes from Mesa, Ariz., where in 1996 she founded one of that state's charter schools. Arizona has 220 charter schools, more than any other state.

"When I was younger, I always said I would open my own school," Williamson said. "I took this job because I wanted the challenge of being the pioneer for charter schools in Nevada."

Bryan Sprague said his 17-year-old daughter, Allison, is excited about starting school as a senior at I Can Do Anything.

"I've been tracking charter schools through the legislative process, and they sound like a good alternative to traditional schools," he said. "My daughter was not fitting in to the traditional school system, and we were searching for alternatives."

The 1997 Nevada Legislature authorized creation of charter schools after a hard fight between proponents of alternatives to the traditional public educational system and those opposed to experimentation.

The law limited the number of schools in Nevada to 21 for traditional students but provided for an unlimited number of schools for at-risk students.

Charter schools are agreements between a group of residents and a local school board to form a public school free of many district and state regulations. The goal is to allow for innovative teaching methods that could improve student performance.

Ian Hill, an executive with the Eldorado Hotel-Casino in Reno and a primary force behind the new school, said state and local school officials were helpful in the effort and even advanced the school $50,000 for start-up costs.

Hill said he decided to help form a charter school in Nevada because he was once an at-risk student.

"If it wasn't for my coaches, counselors and teachers, I wouldn't be where I am today," he said.

The charter school will be run by a board of about a dozen community leaders, said Hill, the board president. Board members choose staff, curricula, text books and teaching methods.

School days will be structured differently than at traditional high schools. Students will take one subject at a time in four-hour blocks. At the end of a month, a semester's worth of work in a subject will be completed and the student will be tested. Those who pass will move on to the next subject.

There will be two blocks, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon-early evening. Students can take classes in one block or both. Time between the blocks will allow school staff to work with students one-on-one. The schedule allows flexibility for students who have jobs.

A second language will be compulsory for students. Violence, drugs and alcohol will not be tolerated.

A school's charter is granted for six years, with an opportunity for renewal after three years. Renewal is based on an evaluation by the school district.

Charter schools are required to provide a full explanation of its target goals, which must meet school district approval. Failing to meet those goals could result in revocation of a school's charter.

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