By Della Batts Daily
Herald Staff Writer
Published/Last Modified on Thursday, May 28, 2009 1:40 PM CDT

RALEIGH — Two Gaston College Preparatory School teachers are still in the running to start one of North Carolina’s newest charter schools.

According to Jackie Jenkins of the Department of Public Instruction’s Charter School Division, Eric Sanchez and Carice Cantelupe are heading a developing board seeking to open Henderson Collegiate Charter School in Vance County. Henderson Collegiate was chosen yesterday as one of the recommendations.

This can be a beneficial development for Vance County students, because many are currently bussing from the Henderson area to Gaston College Preparatory.

Jenkins said, North Carolina only allows 100 charter schools statewide.

When three schools closed last year, 24 applications were received across the state to build the replacements. Sanchez and Cantelupe were among those applicants. Sixteen of those applications were put before the state board and seven were called for interviews. The final three that will be recommended to the state board by the charter school committee are Lake Lure Classical Charter School in Rutherford County, Bear Grass Charter School of Martin County and Henderson Collegiate.

Jenkins said the recommendations will be presented to the state board at their June meeting and a decision will be rendered in July. If the recommendations are accepted, Sanchez and Cantelupe will go through a year of planning their school. That planning will include training in finance, governance, cirrocumuli issues and exceptional children issues. “We’ve found schools that go through this process have a higher success rate,” said Jenkins.

Sanchez and Cantelupe are unable to make any comments on the issue until the final decisions are made.