The town of Irmo is not accepting any blame for the sudden cancellation of the upcoming school year for a new charter school, Irmo Mayor Bill Danielson said in an interview with the Chronicle.
He is adamant in his defense of the town’s decision to refuse authorization of Ascent Classical Academy to open a new school building planned for a location in St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.
Irmo’s decision to deny that authorization abruptly impacted hundreds of students and staff who had expected to begin school in the next few weeks. Danielson said he has received multiple phone calls from families expressing concern about the cancellation.
Officials of Ascent Classical Academy insisted that it was in compliance with regulations, and faulted the Town of Irmo for failing to clear the path for the new school.
But Danielson said that was not an accurate response to what happened.
“That response was way out of proportion,” he said. “The bottom line is that the town of Irmo does not authorize new school buildings."
He said Ascent Classical Academy did not go about an authorization process properly
As allowed under state law, the State Superintendent of Education designated jurisdiction for the project to the Town of Irmo in April.
The town of Irmo wasn’t even notified of the plan until May 28, Danielson said.
Ascent had planned to hold classes in St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, holding kindergarten through eighth grade classes in the church’s education building until the school could move into a more permanent location. But the academy’s board voted to delay its planned opening in August for a full school year after Irmo denied the authorization.
The academy said in a news release that the town had approved a change of use for the building in early May and the school was working through “minor upgrades” to ensure Ascent could start classes in the fall. But, Irmo’s building inspection contractor CC&I informed the school that the project exceeded its contract with the town and withdrew from the process, according to the school’s news release.
The temporary facility required minor upgrades to ensure it was ready to safely serve students, in turn, directed Ascent Classical Academies to submit permit requests through the town and its contractor, CC&I, according to the news release.
On June 26, after two months of discussions and plan reviews, the contractor unexpectedly withdrew from the project, claiming the project exceeded the scope of work required in their contract with the Town of Irmo, and the town’s leadership supported their contractor’s position.
Danielson said the town consulted with attorneys about that decision, and was advised not to authorize any further planning for the school.
Ascent is part of a Colorado-based network of public charter schools that focus on a traditional liberal arts curriculum. Its planned South Carolina campuses, including in Irmo, are sponsored by the Charter Institute at Erskine College, which sponsors other charter schools around the state.
Danielson said he had a long phone conversation with Derec Shuler, the executive director of Ascent Classical Academies. He said it was a disappointing discussion, as Shuler told him to use his political position to approve the project.
In a news release, the town said it only found out in May that Irmo had been designated as the agency with permitting authority over the school by the S.C. Department of Education.
“The Town of Irmo did not formally request or accept this designation,” according to the news release.