The North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the North Carolina Public Charter Schools Association soon will consolidate to form the North Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools, the new organization announced last week.

Plans for the merger were finalized on Oct. 6 at a joint board meeting of the two groups, said Lee Teague, who formerly served as the executive director of the NCPCSA and is now interim executive director of the new association. The groups joined to provide more effective advocacy for public school choice, and a wider range of services for member schools, he said.

The association’s board comprises 16 charter school and business leaders from across the state. The organization will accept new members for the 2016-17 school year until January 2017.

“In addition to our board being comprised of several charter school founders and administrators, we’ve polled N.C. charter schools on their service and support needs,” said Lisa Gordon-Stella, co-chair of the NCAPCS.
The association will offer services and vendor resources to board members of nonprofit charter schools during “planning years” — the period before a new charter school opens. The association’s board also will offer discounted memberships for first-year charter schools and a discount for individual board members of schools that are in the planning phase, said Jennifer Lucas, co-chair of the NCAPCS.