Kentucky’s first charter school could open in Madison County. Decision coming this month

Valarie Honeycutt Spears
·4 min read

Following a public hearing Tuesday night, the Madison County Schools board is set to decide on whether to approve Kentucky’s first charter school on December 28.

Gus LaFontaine, who heads the LaFontaine Preparatory School in Richmond for pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students, wants to open a charter school called Fontaine Charter Schools. His is the only current application in the state.

The 2017 Regular Session of the General Assembly approved HB 520, legislation that for the first time allowed charter schools in Kentucky. Although the framework for charter schools was established in 2017 with the passage of House Bill 520, the General Assembly did not provide any funding for charter schools until last year. None have ever opened in Kentucky and the issue has been controversial for years.

“We believe that every child deserves an education that best serves their individual needs, and it is essential that every family, regardless of financial capability, has the freedom to make that choice,” LaFontaine told the Herald-Leader Tuesday.

“As we aspire to become a charter school, we will open our doors to all who wish to join us,” said LaFontaine. He said there are over 7,700 charter schools across 45 states, ”yet Kentucky represents none of these, even though every state bordering Kentucky has charter schools.“

Critics said have charter schools would pull money away from public schools.

A charter school is an independently run public school that is granted flexibility in operations in return for higher accountability for performance, according to the Jefferson County Public Schools website.

Each charter school is bound by its “charter,” or contract, which establishes the academic, operational, financial, school climate and culture expectations as well as the school’s mission, program and methods of assessment. Charter schools must accept all students, are tuition-free, and are subject to Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings law, the website said.

Erin Stewart, a spokesperson for Madison County Schools, said Tuesday LaFontaine’s application is being reviewed by the Madison County Board of Education.

The board conducted the required interview with LaFontaine last week and there is a public forum slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday for the Board to hear from stakeholders regarding the application, Stewart said.

The next step in the process will then be for the school board to give LaFontaine feedback, which will be shared the week of December 18. Then the board is scheduled to meet and give their decision at 6 p.m. December 28 at the district office.

LaFontaine said if the Madison school board denies his application, he can appeal and have 60 days to make corrections. If its denied again, he said he can appeal to the Kentucky Board of Education.

LaFontaine said the application asked for a projected enrollment and he has speculated 900 students over five years, but he said Tuesday that would be a guess because there are no other charter schools in Kentucky. LaFontaine said his application says he intends to partner with an unnamed educational service provider — in his case a group of people in his organization that offer services such as bookkeeping, admissions, and training and compliance.

But he said he would likely drop his intent to partner with an educational service provider to simplify the charter school launch.

LaFontaine’s application lists his board of directors as:

  • Alicia Lokovich, a founding LaFontaine teacher who is now in investor relations in Middle Ground Capitol in Lexington.

  • Courtney Bailey, a former and founding LaFontaine teacher who is finishing her doctorate in educational psychology.

  • Ashley Friend, a former LaFontaine teacher who is now a graduate admissions counselor at Eastern Kentucky University.

  • Sara Connolly, former LaFontaine teacher, who currently teaches transitional kindergarten at Sacred Heart Parish School in Coronado, California.

  • Jerry Honaker, owner of Pinpoint Accounting Solutions, whose son previously attended LaFontaine.

  • Parent representative Abby McIntier, founding member of LaFontaine.

  • Parent representative Jessica Cain, whose two daughters attend LaFontaine. She works for the Kentucky Division of Child Care in the Department of Community Based Services.

LaFontaine wanted to open a charter school in 2018 but decided not to move ahead because there wasn’t a funding mechanism at that time. That changed when House Bill 9 was approved last year.

In January, a non-profit corporation that represents public school districts filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky Department of Education over a state law that required two pilot program charter schools to open. The lawsuit filed by the Council for Better Education is asking the Franklin Circuit Court to prevent the implementation of House Bill 9, saying it’s unconstitutional. No charter school ever opened under the law.

A spokesman for that group, Tom Shelton, said Tuesday that a court decision had not been made.

In 2019, the first application ever filed in Kentucky to open a charter school was denied by the Newport Independent school board.