A final decision on the fate of the Jonesville-Lockhart Charter School won’t be made until September.

The board voted unanimously Saturday to delay a decision until Sept. 1. The board will revisit the issue in light of further information about the school’s capital and operational budgets.

The school was originally scheduled to open in 2008 but was delayed until this year after funding for land acquisition and facility construction fell through. The district was awarded a $420,000 federal grant to cover the cost of furnishing the school once it is built. Those funds, however, cannot be used for land acquisition, building construction or school operations including the hiring of teachers and other personnel.

The issue of whether or not to continue the charter school effort into 2010 or surrender the charter has divided the board, which debated the issue during an emotional meeting in January. The board voted to delay a final decision until after Saturday’s meeting, which was attended by roughly 40 people.

Chairman Shirley Cromer is among the board members who advocate continuing the effort into 2010.

“I was definitely pleased that we voted not to turn in the charter now,” she said. “Hopefully we will acquire funding by September for a 2010 opening.”

Mrs. Cromer said she and the other board members favoring a 2010 opening continue to work with parties interested in supporting the effort. She said delaying a final decision until September will allow them to determine whether such funding will be forthcoming.

Vice chairman Mark Sanders is among the board members who have advocated surrendering the charter. He said he still favors surrendering the charter if the district cannot secure the necessary funding by September. While he still believes in the charter school concept, Sanders said cuts in state funding due to the ongoing economic downturn have deprived the school of the revenue it needs to operate.

“Revisions on our revenue from the State Department of Education and the current funding cuts known from Columbia have taken a toll,” he said. “Our total average per pupil projected application revenue in 2007 has gone from more than $6,900 per pupil to less than $4,700 per pupil today.

“Today, someone would have to give us absolutely free constructed facilities, free land and agree to subsidize the school’s operating budget to make up for the lack of state funding until such time as that gap is closed,” he said. “That amount could exceed $10 million depending on the circumstances like the size of the school and the state’s budget issues.”

Sanders pointed out that even if the school had started at the original location in Kelly-Kelton in 2008 or in Jonesville this year, the decrease in state funding would have forced it to close. He added that unlike public schools, charter schools cannot receive local tax revenue and are therefore dependent on state funding based on the number of students enrolled.

Another problem Sanders noted was the lack of participation in Saturday’s meeting. He said that only 40 people attended Saturday’s public meeting even though more than 400 notices had been sent out to parents.

“Support and enrollment are always going to be crucial to this effort,” he said. “We believe in smaller schools and the benefits of them, but the parents in sufficient numbers must want the same thing. Charters after all are schools of choice. Apathy affects us as well as the regular public schools.”

Mrs. Cromer said that while she was disappointed with the turnout, those present did urge the board to continue the effort into 2010.

“We received public input and the majority of the people there favored not giving up,” she said.