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The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board will have a new leader come January.
What remains uncertain is whether the board has information it needs to resolve an issue that has loomed for months: whether to revoke the charter of SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy.
The board has set a meeting for Oct. 14 to form a search committee to replace Executive Director Lisa Karmacharya, who plans to retire Jan. 1.
“I had this incredible opportunity to begin the work and build the plane while we were flying it,” Karmacharya said of her tenure. “So it was an amazing opportunity and exhausting at the same time, but one that I will absolutely cherish for the rest of my life.”
Meanwhile, the board still needs to make a decision about the Canton school’s charter. In May, Kim Turner presided over a hearing where the board built its case for revoking the charter. Last month, the board asked Turner to provide an update about her recommendation by Sept. 30. The board also requested that Turner provide a recommendation by Friday.
Hearing officer Kim Turner asks questions during a hearing about SR1 on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
With those deadlines in mind, authorizer board members set a goal to decide on the charter at their Oct. 26 meeting but can’t act without Turner’s recommendation.
Karmacharya confirmed Tuesday the board had received no communication from Turner. But when Mississippi Today reached out again for confirmation on Wednesday, board attorney Dillon Pitts responded, “We can confirm receipt of both in a timely manner. No further comments.”
Lisa Karmacharya, executive director of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, listens during a hearing about SR1 on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
As the delay drags on, so does the dysfunction within the charter school. Three charter school employees, including the provost, resigned last month, according to a report Karmacharya provided to the board on Sept. 21. An administrator, and not a chef or designated child nutrition department employee, was preparing food in the cafeteria for students, according to Karmacharya.
An inspector who worked for the charter board found the child nutrition department was not complying with federal guidelines that ensured student meals had the proper nutritional value and were stored at a safe temperature, among other standards.
The charter school has been plagued by dysfunctional leadership, money woes and compliance issues in its cafeteria and special education department. All were highlighted in the case the authorizer board presented to Turner in May. Mississippi Today spoke to 13 former SR1 charter school employees about disorganization in the school’s business office and attempts by leadership to deceive regulators.
