Southeast approves charter school through 2018

Southeast Missouri State University says a charter schools it oversees can continue operating through 2018.

The university's Board of Regents renewed the charter for the Lift for Life Academy in St. Louis last week.

Charter schools must have a sponsor, which reviews the performance of the publicly funded but independently run schools. Sponsors determine if the schools can continue to operate.

The Lift for Life Academy serves an at-risk student population, with about 90 percent of its students qualifying for government-subsidized school meals.

Southeast provost Ron Rosati said the charter school's attendance and graduation rates are bright spots. But he said the student performance has been uneven, and the university has been working with the school to improve it.