Montgomery County’s only charter school is off to a rough start.

Mecca Business Learning Institute leaders hoped to launch this fall in a newly renovated Germantown campus, serving 250 students in sixth and seventh grades.

But construction delays forced them to pivot and they instead started classes in a temporary space — in Bethesda. The two campuses are about 20 miles apart.

Given that distance, transporting students to the new building was already going to be a challenge. And then the school paused its yellow bus service.

Parents received an email late last month asking them to donate to a fundraiser to pay for new transportation options, with a goal of raising more than $100,000 by the end of October.

“We’re asking our MBLI family to help support transportation services and keep students moving,” the email read. “The work is intense, and we’re human — stressed, tired, sometimes sad — yet we’re also resolved and hopeful.”

Amid all this, the charter school’s enrollment dropped by more than 25%. That decline represents a setback for the business-focused academy, which hopes to grow to hundreds of students in grades six through 12.

“The majority of our families live in the Upcounty area, so transportation is a critical factor in their daily access to school,” school founder LaChaundra Graham wrote in a statement. “Our enrollment concerns are directly tied to transportation.”

Joshua Schuman was among the parents who recently withdrew a child from the charter school.

He began this year hopeful for what its curriculum could offer his seventh grader. Schuman’s daughter has always been entrepreneurial — even starting an Etsy slime shop when she was in elementary school.

But the commute to and from Bethesda was tough, occasionally stretching to an hour on the ride home. Once the families they carpooled with pulled their own kids out, the decision became clear.

Schuman’s daughter returned last week to her neighborhood school.

“My gut is that probably this program is not destined for success in Montgomery County,” Schuman said.

Charter schools — which are publicly funded but privately operated — have long struggled to take root in Montgomery County, which is known for its strong public school system. Financial problems forced Mecca Business Learning Institute’s only charter predecessor to transition into a private school.

Transportation woes

Mecca Business Learning Institute’s bus service paused earlier this year after officials in Montgomery County Public Schools’ transportation department flagged issues with the charter school’s vendors.

Staff found problems, including incomplete or inconsistent proof of insurance and issues with driving records.

The school’s founders had relied on the contractor’s assurances until MCPS flagged its concerns. “MCPS then recommended pausing service until a fully compliant vendor could be identified, and we concurred to prioritize student safety,” Graham wrote in an email.

She added that the charter school put guardrails in place to prevent similar issues in the future.

“We offer this context not as an excuse, but to be transparent about the realities we, as a new school, are navigating,” Graham wrote.

These challenges led to a Sept. 30 fundraising email to families with the subject line: Keep Our Kids Moving — Van & Yellow-Bus Fund Goals.

MCPS Chief Academic Officer Niki Porter sent a letter to the charter school’s families shortly after, making it clear that the school district didn’t sponsor and wasn’t endorsing the fund, and that parents didn’t have to contribute to it.

“Unfortunately, despite repeated requests, MBLI has not submitted accurate and complete transportation information. Submissions have been late, incomplete, or inaccurate,” she wrote.

“This is not about funding,” she added. “It is about compliance and, most importantly, student safety.”

Graham faulted the vendors for the paperwork delays.

The charter school expects students to move into the permanent campus on Goldenrod Lane in Germantown after winter break.

In the meantime Graham said staffers are trying to stem the exodus of students by reassuring families that the problems are temporary. Interest in the programs remains high, she added.

A contentious history

Mecca Business Learning Institute envisioned a new choice for Montgomery County families: a career academy that would teach students financial literacy and entrepreneurship. They planned to start small before expanding to 700 middle and high school students by 2030.

The charter model gave the school more autonomy and flexibility than a traditional public school.

But it wasn’t easy getting started.

If a group wants to operate a charter school in Maryland, they must first earn the approval of the school board where they’re based. Most of the state’s public charters are concentrated in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County.

The Montgomery County school board initially rejected the MBLI charter, pointing to concerns about facilities and transportation. After an appeal, the state education board directed the district to reverse course.

Sunil Dasgupta, UMBC-Shady Grove’s political science program director, has followed the saga on his podcast, “I Hate Politics.”

In an episode earlier this year, he said the county has successfully resisted public charter schools for two reasons.

“First, its schools are considered to be good, certainly better than those in D.C., and so the demand has been muted,” he said. “Second, the county’s strong unions have opposed private use of public money, and residents have repeatedly ratified that position.”

The county approved its first public charter school in 2011, but the campus struggled financially. By 2014, it transitioned into operating as a private school instead.

Schuman said his family’s experience at Mecca Business Learning Institute doesn’t leave him thinking that all charters are doomed in Montgomery County.

“But it would definitely require some institutional knowledge about MCPS,” he said.

The charter school’s website alludes to its challenges, along with its resolve to continue operating.

“Yes, we’ve been slandered, we’ve been bullied, and we’ve faced setbacks and opposition,” it reads.

“But we’ve also been lifted by community. And through it all, we’ve remained committed and unshaken — because we’re doing this for the kids.”