The South Carolina Public Charter School District board voted Dec. 11 to accept transfer applications from 14 schools previously authorized by Limestone Charter Association after Limestone College announced it would close.

John R. Payne, district staff, told trustees the State Department of Education asked the district to reconsider its Oct. 1 transfer-application deadline after Limestone College announced a closure; Payne said the department set a Dec. 15, 2025 deadline for Limestone schools to secure another authorizer or face closure. Payne said district staff worked with the department and Erskine College to create a simplified, department‑approved transfer application and that the district reviewed school report cards and financial documents submitted for the Dec. 6, 2025 deadline.

Payne read the list of recommended transfer schools and the board accepted them. The slate includes Atlantic Collegiate Academy (Conway), Coastal High School (Myrtle Beach), Discovery School at Myrtle Beach, Eastlink Academy, Global Academy of South Carolina, Goetjer Charter Academy (Gaffney), Horse Creek Academy (Aiken), Legion Collegiate Academy (Rock Hill), Mountain View Preparatory (Spartanburg), Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant), Orangeburg High School for Health Professions (Orangeburg), Somerville Preparatory Academy (Somerville), and two year‑0 (pre‑opening) schools: South Carolina High School for Accelerated Learning and Discovery School at Rock Hill.

The board also approved a limited waiver of the district’s Oct. 1 transfer-application deadline solely for the slate of schools that submitted complete applications by Dec. 6, 2025. Staff recommended — and trustees accepted — that charters or letters of intent previously submitted to Limestone Charter Association be treated as valid letters of intent for the district’s 2026 application cycle so long as the school executes a new charter contract with the district on or before Jan. 16, 2026. Payne said year‑0 schools must submit revised charter applications to the state department portal by Jan. 30, 2026; the district plans to review those applications during the normal cycle and bring recommendations to its March board meeting.

Payne framed the action as preventing closure of schools "in good standing," saying such closure "would be antithetical to the district's mission vision and values of putting kids first." Trustees moved, seconded and passed the motions by voice vote.