There will be a charter school in the Mississippi Delta, but it will not be in Sunflower County.
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board made it official this week when it voted to reject the proposed Truth Academy STEAM Charter School in Drew.
The board also rejected the SR1 College Prepatroy & STEM Academy in Canton.
The company Shades of Elegance was backing the Drew proposal, but questions regarding sustainability and funding followed the proposed school through the application process.
The Clarksdale school, however, had overwhelming support from state leadership after they found out the proposed school leader, Amanda Johnson, was involved in the project.
Johnson previously led a Helena, Ark. charter school, which its successes became a model for advocates of charter schools in Mississippi back in 2013.
According to a report by the Associated Press this week, while the Clarksdale school enjoys state level support, there was resistance from members of the community who feared the community’s small size would hinder a charter school being able to compete with the local public schools.
Truth Academy representatives could not be reached for comment for this article.
