Imagine Discovery's Charter Agreement Up For Vote

Baltimore County Board of Education members weren't happy about the performance of the Imagine Discovery Public Charter School in Woodlawn, which recently had its charter extended for two years.

On Wednesday, the board will vote on the charter agreement for the struggling school that emphasizes the progress it would need to make to improve its academics, and make it eligible for a two or four year charter renewal starting in the 2014-2015 school year. Imagine Discovery has consistently fallen below the county average on standardized state test scores.

The board approved the most recent extension through the 2013-2014 school year, a recommendation of Superintendent S. Dallas Dance, in late August. Prior to the vote, Dance said the extension did not mean he was happy with the school's performance, but wanted to make sure all efforts were exhausted before a decision had to be made about revoking the charter in the future.

Parents of students at Imagine Discovery had appealed to the board during its meetings, saying the charter school offered an alternative to the low performing schools in the area. School officials said Imagine Discovery did not generally perform better than those schools.

Board members will vote on the next extension in fall 2013.