TMSA Public Charter Schools Launches the 2026–27 School Year with Networkwide Staff Kickoff

More than 700 educators and employees gathered under the theme "United in Purpose: Together We Lead, Together We Rise."

TMSA Public Charter Schools officially launched the 2026–27 school year by welcoming more than 700 teachers, administrators, and support professionals to its annual Staff Kickoff at the TMSA Charlotte Secondary Campus in Concord.

The event brought together employees from across the TMSA network for a day of professional learning, collaboration, celebration, and inspiration as they prepared to welcome students back for another successful school year. The kickoff aligned instructional priorities, strengthened collaboration across campuses, and reinforced TMSA's continued commitment to student achievement and educational excellence.

Superintendent Ben Karaduman opened the program by recognizing the dedication and hard work of TMSA teachers, support staff, administrators, and Board members.

"The improvement we saw across every region last year did not happen by chance. It happened because of the educators and staff in this room. These results belong to them, and they are the foundation we build on this year."

He also shared TMSA's preliminary 2025–26 academic results, highlighting improvement across every TMSA region with an average increase of 5.2 percentage points in networkwide proficiency.

Looking ahead, Karaduman introduced four guiding priorities for the coming school year:

• Student Achievement

• Continuous Improvement

• Transparency

• Consistency

He also emphasized strengthening communication across the organization and leveraging technology and artificial intelligence to enhance teaching, learning, and school operations.

The event featured an inspiring keynote address from Dr. Nihat Guvercin, Founder and CEO of iLearn Schools, who spoke about lifelong learning, innovation, and empowering educators to make a lasting impact on students.

Throughout the day, employees participated in cross-campus Synergy Sessions, sharing best practices, building stronger professional relationships, and collaborating to provide a consistent educational experience across the TMSA network.

Motivational speaker Gabe Salazar challenged attendees to reconnect with their personal and professional "why," reminding educators of the lasting influence they have on the lives of their students.

The program also showcased the incredible talents within the TMSA community through performances by TMSA students and a special musical performance by TMSA alumna Briana Jene'.

TMSA extends its sincere appreciation to the sponsors and community partners whose generous financial and in-kind contributions helped make this event possible, including Hubrich Contracting, K–12 by Elior, Sellartify, Sharpe Patel CPA, SpeedPro, Kutak Rock, Gray & Creech Office Solutions, Ice Miller, Triad Educational Services, Sharity Global, GoGuardian – Pear Deck Learning, Charlotte Sign Studio, and our individual donors.

As employees return to campuses across North Carolina, the kickoff has set the tone for a school year focused on collaboration, leadership, innovation, and student success under this year's theme:

United in Purpose: Together We Lead, Together We Rise.

Enrollment is Open

Enrollment for the 2026–27 school year remains open. Families interested in learning more about TMSA Public Charter Schools or submitting an application are encouraged to visit www.tmsaschools.org.

As we begin another exciting school year, we thank every member of the TMSA family for their dedication to our students and communities. Together, we are United in Purpose: Together We Lead, Together We Rise.