A regional charter school that will draw some of its students from Dorchester County was awarded a $75,000 planning grant to be used toward opening the school.

Plans are well underway for Palmetto Scholars Academy, a charter school for gifted and talented students, which is slated to open Aug. 18, 2010 to a total of 216 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from across the Lowcountry.

The grant will serve a variety of purposes such as boosting the school’s marketing efforts and to support a principal consultant and curriculum consultant, says Stacey Lindbergh, chairman of the Palmetto Scholars Academy Charter Committee. The grant must be used for planning purposes and cannot fund expenditures such as salaries or building costs.

The school’s big marketing push will kick off next month with radio and print advertisements as well as information sessions for the public.

“We have a whole committee looking into diversity and demographics so we can (target) all communities through churches, libraries, professional organizations and other venues,” Lindbergh said.

On Monday, Lindbergh and supporters of the school addressed the Charleston Delegation to request help in obtaining the building that currently houses Academic Magnet High School, which will be in a different location next year. The building is situated on the Charleston Naval Base in North Charleston, a site Lindbergh says is desirable because it’s easily accessible to students throughout the Lowcountry and is already a school building with classrooms, science labs, an auditorium and a cafeteria.

Lindbergh says many of the delegate members pledged their support to assist in finding a building and she’s “optimistic” a site for the school will be established soon.

The school hasn’t yet begun hiring – job applications and descriptions are currently being developed – but teachers from both in state and out of state have already expressed interest in working at the school, said Lindbergh, who added that she expects a principal will be hired within the next several months.

Palmetto Scholars Academy was one of eight charter schools across South Carolina to receive the $75,000 grant, which is awarded by the State Dept. of Education from Public Charter School Program Grant funds received from the U.S. Dept. of Education.

The school will serve sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students during its initial year and will begin adding high school grades in 2011, starting with ninth-grade, Lindbergh said.

Registration for the school will take place in January and if there are more applicants than spaces available, a lottery will be held Feb. 15, 2010, according to Lindbergh.

For more information about the school, contact Stacey Lindbergh at (843) 745-5166 or slindbergh@homesc.com, or visit palmettoscholarsacademy.org.

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com

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