A group of Casper parents is looking to launch a new charter school for high-achieving kids. They're planning to submit their application to the Natrona County School District on Monday.
The proposed K-8 school is called The Guild Charter School. Backers say the school would offer individualized learning plans for each student and be more academically rigorous.
It would be the first charter school in Natrona County—and only the fifth in the whole state. Tiffany Leary is one of the parents behind the proposed school. She says a lack of familiarity with charter schools here makes this an uphill battle.
“People don’t really understand what a charter school is,” Leary says. “It’s for everybody. It’s public. There’s no tuition. The only thing different is that it adheres to their charter—which both the school and the district agree to. So, it’s just another option. But I don’t think a lot of people understand that in Wyoming because there are so few.”
After the application is submitted, the District will have 60 days to approve or deny the charter.