Mississippi News Nonprofit CLARKSDALE – Parents and children line up at a small registration desk to receive informational pamphlets as well as meal tickets. As they walk past the college and university pennants that line the main corridor, others take a tour of the facility before meeting teachers in the bright classrooms. Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School is the 1st rural charter school in #Mississippi. It opens its doors next Wednesday. However, it is hosting its first open house. pic.twitter.com/Qumr0bHTNf — Aallyah Wright (@aallyahpatrice) July 19, 2018 More than a dozen more parents cluster into the superhero themed library to watch their children use virtual reality lab equipment. Families pose for photos in the cafeteria while others eat at a table. Open house allows parents and guardians to ensure that their children are ready for the first day at the rural Mississippi charter school. Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School is proud of its college-preparatory curriculum. There are signs all over the school that say, “I’m college bound” and “Brave scholars getting ready to college,” while posters and signs around the school advertise this message. Clarksdale Collegiate will open its doors to students on July 25, after receiving approval from Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. Long-term plans call for a school with at least 50 students in kindergarten through second grade. However, before reaching this point, school leaders had a lot of work to do. These included winning over parents and community members, finding a school home, buying buses and transportation routes, as well as hiring staff and administrators. It was difficult to get parents to sign up, Johnson said, particularly without teachers or staff. Johnson was nervous because the school was new and parents didn’t know what to expect. Johnson also worried about whether they would be able to get 150 students. She said, “People wanted to know the names of the teachers.” “At one time, I was saying, “Trust me, We’ll Have a Great Team.” Johnson announced in February 2018 that St. Paul’s United Methodist Church would become the school’s new home. Johnson stated that they had received 69 applications to fill the 150 student slots. Their fundraising efforts had also been a success, raising $725,000 towards their $1.5 million goal over two years. Johnson said that although Johnson’s vision was supported by parents, finding teachers proved more difficult. Johnson asked, “Are your gonna do what they say?” Johnson asked prospective teachers, “Are you going to stay open?” Johnson said, “I believe there were many questions that potential teachers had. It was also more difficult to teach at a smaller school. There are only 150 positions. “We’re only going to have 150 children.” Teachers like Latasha Caper, a New Yorker who moved to Mississippi to teach for Teach for America, were drawn to Johnson’s passion for education. “I mean, it’s exciting. Capers, who has been a teacher in Quitman and West Tallahatchie for the past three year, said that it’s exciting to imagine what might be. It was an exciting experience to meet Amanda, speak with her, and hear her vision for what she wanted. I felt that I wanted to be part of that. These same passions and feelings about education are mine and I wanted to work in an environment that nurtured them.” Other challenges include increasing student enrollment, hiring teachers and buying buses. Residents expressed concerns earlier about students’ access to school. Johnson stated that three buses have been purchased and two drivers hired by the company. Johnson stated that they cannot say they are available to all children and then not provide transportation, but that it is a priority for them. Johnson stated that transportation is a mission-critical task. Johnson believes they can start strong. Johnson currently has eight teachers on her full-staff. The kindergarten classes are full, with 14 students waiting on the list. She is unsure about the availability of seats for first- and second-graders as some parents haven’t completed the registration process. Johnson said that students have enrolled from the Clarksdale Municipal Schools District, Coahoma Country School District and North Bolivar Consolidated school District. Since last year, conversations about the viability and future of charter schools in the region have been ongoing. They include two panel discussions hosted by Mississippi Today and one public hearing where critics raised a variety of concerns about charter schools. One reason was that the traditional public schools would no longer be able to support students at the charter school, despite the state and local funding. Capers stated that Clarksdale Collegiate would benefit the whole community, regardless of where their students are from. These are our children right? They are from here. They are from this community. They need something. I don’t think I can say it better, but I will give them an opportunity to try something different. Capers will be teaching kindergarten at Clarksdale Collegiate. Johnson believes that charter schools will continue to be a topic of debate about whether they help or harm communities. Johnson said, “I believe the opposition voice will always remain the loudest in this room, but my family is excited.” They have understood and bought in to what we are trying accomplish… and that part of the conversation has been elevated, which is nice,” she stated. It’s not me screaming that it’s a great idea. “I have scholars who are enrolled at our school and have bought school supplies for the first day. They are also buying uniforms for their classmates. Those families and those people are excited about being here.” Johnson stated that her goal is to be a leader in high-quality education programming. Johnson stated, “I believe the Delta isn’t always talked about in favorably and so I can’t wait for our kids to show what they can do.” “We want our scholars show the world what is possible when you can support children and get a great education.”_x000D