Community schools, known as charter schools outside of Athens, are a growing national trend. They are public schools funded and supported by the local school district but privately run, according to information from the Ohio Department of Education.

During the last six years, 29 schools across the country have authorized the creation of community schools in response to high demand, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Ohio opened its first 15 such schools in cities such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, Dayton, Youngstown and Toledo for the 1998-99 school year.

A group of community members in Athens believes a community school might be the answer for a more flexible education for middle-school-aged children, said Gary Coombs, associate professor for the College of Business at Ohio University and spokesman for the group.

Coombs, who has two sons enrolled in the Athens City School District, said although it is interested in an alternative for education, the group is not condemning the current system.

"We are interested in seeing a more student-centered kind of learning," he said. "Different kids learn in different ways."

Roger Watson, Athens School Board president, said the board is discussing the charter school vision and is willing to see a presentation from the group to see if the idea is one the district can offer.

"The question I ask is, is it a charter school or alternative approaches in the middle school that we need?" he said.

The first step was to meet with the school board and ask it to hear a proposal for a community school, Coombs said.

When to present research to the school board has yet to be determined.

"We need to find out how, through the process of a proposal, this would work in Athens," Coombs said. "We must look at the cost, how it would be done, curriculum, and then the school board will have the chance to review it."

Coombs said a community school could open the door for a hands-on learning approach rather than one that is textbook based.

"With the current system in Athens, there are multiple elementary schools and parents have a choice," he said. "Once children reach the middle-school and high-school levels, there is no other option."

Elementary students in the Athens City School District have the opportunity to attend the school of their choice through interdistrict open enrollment.

Coombs said he would support his children attending a community school.