Planned Seminole Charter School Delays Opening

Oklahoma's first rural charter school, started from scratch, is delaying it's opening.

Aerospace manufacturing CEO Paul Campbell created the charter school as a way to help attract workers to his company that he says didn’t want to move to Seminole because of its schools.

In January, the State School Board approved the school despite objections from Seminole Public Schools.

The Academy of Seminole will be housed at Seminole State College.

Campbell recently hired the school's head educator.

Wren Hawthorne is Harvard educated and is currently the head of a rural school in Okmulgee.

“I think we hit a homerun,” said Campbell about Hawthorne.

Campbell said Hawthorne will be involved in negotiating a contract with the educational group that partners on the charter school.

The Enviro Systems CEO says some details on the school have taken longer to work out, so the schools opening is being pushed back to the Fall of 2018.

“If that means delaying it a year is going to make it a phenomenal school and better school over the next 10 to 20 years, I think it’s a no-brainer,” said Campbell.