SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– A proposed charter school in Sullivan took its next steps to becoming a reality during an emotional meeting with the Indiana Charter School Board on Wednesday.

The Sullivan County School of Choice is looking to open its doors next year, following the closure of Rural Community Academy. Wednesday, the ICSB was in Sullivan to meet with stakeholders firsthand– and organizer of the potential new school, Ashley Trotter, said she thought things went well.

“We had the site visit today at RCA, so they were here this entire afternoon,” she said. “They met with groups of students, groups of parents, leadership of the school currently, and also groups of the teachers. We feel like that went really well, everybody had a positive experience at the meetings that they held.”

Around two to three dozen people showed up in support of the proposed charter. Bridgett Abston, the director of authorizing, evaluation and assessment at the ICSB, said it will play a big part in the final steps to get the school approved for the 2023-24 school year.

“We take public comment from anyone through the community, whether they are for the school, opposition or just neutral. We collect that as staff, we put all of that together and put that in our board packet that we present to our actual board that is the decision making body,” she said.

Abston acknowledged the passion from community members in attendance, and said that anyone wishing to make their voices can still do so through noon on April 28th.

“Obviously it was very passionate, very emotional. It tugged on my heart strings, so we try to be very agnostic to this because it’s part of our process,” Abston said. “We choose to just take everything collectively said through this evening’s process and the emails, and then create one full body of evidence that we as staff then determine our recommendation to our board.”

If the school is approved, she said it could look a number of different ways.

“They could approve a one-year charter, and then they would have to come back within this next school year. They could approve a full term, which since they’re new to ICSB would be five years. They could approve a three-year,there could be conditions within,” she said.

Trotter said all she wants to hear next month is they are approved going forward.

“I’ll take any time frame they give us,” she said. “I feel like if they give us a year, if it’s only a year, we’re going to be able to prove to them that we will need, we’re worth other years, we’re worth renewal come next year if we get it. So I think one year, we can prove what we’re worth.”