Irmo defends measures against charter schools

The city of Irmo takes no 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 vehemently defends the city’s decision to deny Ascent Classical Academy permission to open a new school building planned on the premises of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.
Irmo’s decision to deny approval had an abrupt impact on hundreds of students and staff who had expected to start classes in the next few weeks. Danielson said he received several phone calls from families expressing concern about the cancellation.
Representatives of the Ascent Classical Academy emphasized that the construction complied with regulations and accused the city of Irmo of not clearing the way for the new school.
But Danielson said that was not an appropriate response to what happened.
“This response was completely disproportionate,” he said. “The bottom line is that the city of Irmo does not have the authority to build new school buildings.”
He said Ascent Classical Academy did not properly carry out the approval process
In accordance with state law, the state Secretary of Education assigned responsibility for the project to the city of Irmo in April.
The city of Irmo was not informed of the plan until May 28, Danielson said.
Ascent had planned to hold classes at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and hold preschool through eighth grade classes in the church’s school building until the school could move to a more permanent location. But the academy’s board decided to delay its planned August opening for an entire school year after Irmo denied approval.
In a news release, the academy said the city approved a change of use for the building in early May and the school is working on “minor improvements” to ensure Ascent can begin classes in the fall. But Irmo-based building inspection contractor CC&I told the school the project went beyond its contract with the city and withdrew from the process, the school’s news release said.
Minor improvements were needed at the temporary facility to ensure student safety. In exchange, Ascent Classical Academies was directed to submit permit applications through the city and its contractor, CC&I, the release said.
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 specified in the contract with the City of Irmo. The City Council supported the contractor’s position.
Danielson said the city consulted with lawyers in making the decision and was instructed not to approve any further plans for the school.
Ascent is part of a Colorado-based network of public charter schools that focus on a traditional liberal arts curriculum. The planned South Carolina locations, including in Irmo, are sponsored by the Charter Institute at Erskine College, which sponsors other charter schools across 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 because Shuler told him to use his political position to get the project approved.
In a press release, the city said it only learned in May that Irmo had been named by the South Carolina Department of Education as the agency with licensing authority for the school.
“The City of Irmo has neither officially requested nor accepted this designation,” the press release states.