History of ESS

In 1998, after twenty-plus years as a teacher, Special Ed. teacher, and Curriculum Director, Carol Thorne observed with interest the onset of the charter school movement. Realizing the great potential of this concept for increased educational benefits for children, and also realizing that these new schools would need "hand-holding" as they learned to walk through the maze of regulatory organizations, rules, and pertinent statutes, Carol started a sole-proprietorship, Essential Support Services (ESS).

Initially a consulting firm advising Texas charter schools on compliance issues, ESS rapidly grew in geographical area served as well as professional services offered.

Now incorporated, ESS has a staff of four permanent and four contract employees assisting charter school clients in thirteen states from Massachusetts to Arizona, and has broadened its client base to include public schools and not-for-profit entities that provide educational services.