October 5, 2011
Media Release
The Roger Bacon Academy statement regarding the proposed D. C. Virgo charter school.

In 1996 charter schools were ratified in North Carolina to “increase learning opportunities for all students” and “provide different and innovative teaching methods,” and the change at D. C. Virgo school creates a great opportunity to accomplish that mission. The Roger Bacon Academy commends the New Hanover County school board for their tough decision on making the D.C. Virgo a charter school. Creating a charter school within the county school system is a ground breaking decision that may serve in the best interests of the children in the surrounding community. We hope that a viable charter application agreeable to all can be worked out and approved by the State Board of Education in Raleigh. While we regret not being chosen to lend our twelve years of charter school management experience to aid in this project, we remain supportive of all efforts to “increase learning opportunities for all students” as we have done with our 1,500 students in Brunswick and Columbus counties. We hope that this experience will be a starting point for future coordinating efforts with the New Hanover County School Board and a means of dialogue that will benefit the academic advancement of all students in New Hanover County.

The Roger Bacon Academy schools are tuition-free, open enrollment public schools in southeastern North Carolina. Since 2000, our schools have focused on quality K-8 education and are premier performance-driven year round schools. The Roger Bacon Academy schools have built a reputation for dedicated and highly qualified teachers that give students a strong and proven academic foundation. The Roger Bacon Academy schools have received numerous awards, including the designation of being a Top-25 School for Academic Growth and Excellence in the state of North Carolina.
###