Established a decade ago, MACCS Health Services, LLC (MACCS) is a capable, trusted and reliable advocate for education and community health services.

During the late 1980’s into the 1990’s the academic industry debating intensely over the issue of student achievement and flexibility in the public school arena. Legislators demanded more accountability and parents demanded more flexibility in choice of public school options. Some argued for state issued public school vouchers. Others argued for charter schools. In 1997, President Clinton called for the creation of 3,000 charter schools nationally by the turn of the century.  At that same time, Philadelphia granted its first charters to four entities to develop schools – Harambe Institute of Science, World Communications, Community Academy of Philadelphia, and Youth Builds Philadelphia Charter Schools.

Charter schools were one of the highlights of the educational reform movement. However, despite great success, the needs of charters outpaced support.  A self-help program needed to be developed where charter school leaders could come together to practice administrative techniques to lower costs and secure resources. On December 1, 1998, a group of interested education leaders, business people, and legislators met in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to discuss the future of charter schools in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. These friends of charter schools were extremely interested in preserving parental choice, performance based education and academic competition characterizing the charter school reform movement.

Based on these concerns it was decided to organize the three states (Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) attending the conference into the Mid-Atlantic Consortium of Charter Schools (MACCS). In 1999, MACCS was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization by Dr. Martin Ryder, founder and President. This collaborative resource network was designed to purchase equipment, supplies, and services based on the power of collective purchasing and economies of scale. The most requested services for consideration at that time and the very first services offered through MACCS were: accounting, auditing, curriculum development and design, E-rate management, grantsmanship, legislative research, professional development, program management, teacher recruitment, special education, and technology.

In the year 2000, the growing concern for the health and welfare of students attending charter schools combined with the need to adhere to Pennsylvania state mandates prompted the creation of the “Division of Health Services.” This sector of MACCS would be devoted exclusively to issues of school health and special education as it pertains to maintaining compliance with the Pennsylvania Public School Code and public health regulations. Over the next ten years, under the leadership of Tonya Y. Harris, MACCS would grow to become the premier provider of school health services in the region and one of few agencies recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health-Division of School Health.