Is CORAL Academy a step away from being approved?

We won't know for sure until Dec. 19, when the MPUSD board is scheduled to give its final decision. But Scott Maxwell, a board member with the CORAL charter, is optimistic: district officials approved their request for facilities, and CORAL representatives have been meeting with friendly MPUSD employees, Maxwell says.

The charter petition by CORAL was denied both by MPUSD and MCOE officials in the past, and its members rewrote their petition -- which, I may add, looks very much improved.

If approved, it would be the third charter school approved in Monterey County within the last year.