This afternoon, New Hanover County Schools superintendent Dr. Charles Foust made a surprising announcement: Mosley's high school program will continue for another year.
The Career Readiness Academy at Mosley is a small high school program serving a predominantly working-class and Hispanic student body. On December 1, NHCS informed Mosley families that CRA would be shuttering by the end of the school year. The decision was a shock to many, including educators and school board members.
Now, Foust is reversing the decision — for now. He stated in Thursday's press release that all three programs at Mosley — the pre-K program, the special needs program, and Career Readiness Academy — would remain open into next year.
Prior to Foust's announcement, NHCS officials had discussed replacing Mosley's high school program with a "newcomers school," which would help immigrant students learn English and get acquainted with the United States' education system. But for the past two months, NHCS officials were unable to confirm concrete details on the newcomers' school's development, nor offer a timeline for the school's opening.
Foust put the issue to rest.
"We will not be exploring a newcomers school," he stated in the release.
Foust also brought up the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER Fund, a federal and state COVID relief fund serving public school districts throughout the United States. North Carolina's school districts secured $3.6 billion in funding after the pandemic began. But that funding is drying up this September. The superintendent stated in the release that the termination of the ESSER program would lead to a $10 million reduction in the 2024-2025 school year budget. It's unclear how this will impact Mosley in the long term.
There are 62 students and 15 staff members in the Mosley high school program. 56% of students are Hispanic or Latino, and 58% are economically disadvantaged.