Mrs. Edwards called the meeting to order at noon. Mrs. Edwards described the steps of the review process and reviewed the committee's task of examining the Philadelphia Charter School Academy public charter school application as stipulated in the Code of Virginia. The purpose of the meeting was for the committee to discuss the application, meet with the applicant, and decide if the application met the Board's approval criteria. Mrs. Edwards explained that it was not the responsibility of the

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... mittee or Board to approve or disapprove an application. An opportunity for public comment was provided but no comments were made. Before the examination of the application, Mrs. Edwards introduced the applicant, Mr. Russell Lomax. He, in turn, introduced Ms. Dorothy Smith, Ms. Patricia Green, Reverend Gary Harmon, and Mrs. Janet Lomax. Mrs. Edwards confirmed that the applicant information (Part A) was complete; an executive summary provided an overview of the proposed charter school; and the assurances (Part C) were signed. Mrs. Edwards then gave the Philadelphia Charter Academy team the opportunity to address the educational (Sections II.-VI.), logistical (Sections VII.-X.), and business (Sections XI.-XV.) components of the application. The applicant presented the information. The committee asked the applicant to clarify the reason for focusing on African American male youth in Campbell County and cautioned about attracting these youth without stereotyping them. The applicant indicated the Campbell County Public Schools report card shows that African American male youth were not doing as well as other youth. The school wants to close the achievement gap, not with just African American students, but with all at-risk students. The committee discussed the lottery process for enrollment, how students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) could not be excluded from the application process, and encouraged the applicant to clarify language in the application that Philadelphia Charter Academy would follow state and federal law.