``We put all the pieces together,'' said Lorraine Andersen, head of the West Chester charter school, who is trying to start charter schools in Kennett and Coatesville.
Andersen described the plan for the school as kindergarten through second grade for 96 children from low-income homes, most of whom would be bilingual. The school, to be run out of the Church of the Advent on Route 82, would have 32 students per grade and operate year-round. Parents would sign homework and receive social-service referrals from school officials.
The school, which would receive 85 percent of what existing public schools fund per pupil, needs approval from the school board. Before committing nearly $600,000 per year once the school is fully enrolled, school board members were looking for some answers.
``If you had a special-education student, we would need to provide more funds,'' said Geoff Gamble, school board president. ``What scares me is that we're turning on a spigot of cash here.''
Gamble also expressed concern that most of the students would be from minority groups, pointing out that the existing public schools make a concerted effort to integrate students.
Andersen replied that she did not expect minority students to suffer from being grouped together because the program was for only three years.
Andersen and others emphasized that the charter school would save the area money by forestalling long-term costs of children who fall through the educational cracks.
``By the time these kids reach the middle school, they are so far behind, they can't catch up,'' Andersen said.
The Even Start program runs an extended kindergarten and after-school program and a summer program for low-income children, most of them Hispanic. Linda Rigler, who works in the program, said she saw many similarities in the charter school idea, but added that there were more children than her program could accommodate.
School board members must review the proposal for 30 days. They plan to vote on the matter on Feb. 9.
