"What we're trying to do is explore ways to provide choice to our students, but we want to make sure (we are) fiscally responsible," she said.
The grant could provide up to $600,000 toward start-up costs, such as equipment, curriculum and textbooks. However, the money could not be used for ongoing expenses, such as personnel.
The grant would require TISD to create a stand-alone campus and not a school within a school, which some early college high schools are, Ms. Tunnell said.
The district could partner with another local education entity to minimize costs.
Ms. Tunnell said the advantage of this program is that it provides startup funding.
A disadvantage is that it requires the district to create and operate a charter school, which comes with its own set of processes and standards.
Ms. Tunnell said if board members are interested in this option, she would do some additional information gathering.
A lot of unanswered questions remain, including those related to operational expenses and additional requirements for charter schools, she said.
"I just think it's important that we're always looking at ways to provide choice to our students and meet their needs in tight economic times with reduced funding," Ms. Tunnell said. "And this is just one possibility to offer that to our students."
