Following a a regular meeting on Tuesday, the school board of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) has “directed legal counsel to challenge the State Board’s decision [to approve Pearl Creek Charter School] in Alaska Superior Court,” according to a letter sent to families and staff by the superintendent.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Following a a regular meeting on Tuesday, the school board of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District has “directed legal counsel to challenge the State Board’s decision in Alaska Superior Court,” according to a letter sent to families and staff by superintendent Dr. Luke Meinert .
“Part of me was not surprised because I’ve been working on this for a year and a half now and it just really was the pattern they’ve already established,” said Christina Turman, a prospective parent of the charter school. “At the same time, I was frankly disturbed.
”That letter explained that in the last year, the school board “carefully reviewed the Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School application through extensive work sessions, public testimony, and detailed discussion before ultimately voting unanimously to deny the proposal. ” The letter also explained a number of concerns expressed by the district and the school board including “the application’s admissions procedures, financial and operational plans, and the broader impact a new school could have on our district and students.
” The district said they raised concerns to the State Board of Education, but those concerns were not addressed, “instead, saying that simply by submitting a complete application, we should have approved it,” said Bobby Burgess, the president of the FNSBSD school board.
“That is a lower standard than we hold our students to on homework assignments. That’s grading for completion, not for content. ” According to the superintendent’s letter, it could “cost to the district of up to $2.85 million to open the charter school, would likely require scaling back important investments included in this year’s budget, including efforts to lower class sizes, restore elementary instrumental music, and bring back Extended Learning Program teaching positions.
” But it’s not just the cost that’s of concern. Burgess said that there’s a statewide concern about legal precedent.
“We’re looking at a precedent setting decision here by the state board that basically says any group who submits a charter application and fills out every box, should be able to stand up a school and in fact, the state board can force you to stand up that school regardless of the costs to the rest of the district,” he explained. “We were contacted by various school districts and boards around the state and the Alaska Association of School Boards urging us to appeal because of the precedent that this would set for the authority that a school board really has to control its local district.
So that’s actually a decision that the courts will need to make. ”“I’m guessing that those superintendents and people from other districts don’t know the nuance of this story. They sure haven’t reached out to us, they don’t know what our experience has been like,” Turman said.
“So, in my mind, the precedent that would be set right now is that there are no longer checks and balances that community members can use.... this is part of state law, like we had the right to appeal and our, yeah, our application was looked at two different times now and found to be legally sound and a good application. ” As to what this means for the process of preparing to open, “we can still move forward with our applications and enrollment, and we’ll still have parent information sessions.
We’ll also get quotes from vendors that we need for curriculum, supplies. work on making sure we have enough teachers applying to the recruitment, we’re also going to continue to work on getting a lease finalized,” explained Jennifer Redmond, APC Member and Head of the Finance Committee. The school district has expressed uncertainty about the school opening in the fall as the superintendent’s letter said there are unresolved operational questions that the courts need to address before the school can open.
Until litigation begins or until an appeal is filed, Redmond said the charter continues to move forward, “fueled” by the community and desire to be a solution for families and declining enrollment. Wasilla teenager arrested for fatal shooting at house partyAnchorage woman appears in court on murder charge in mother’s deathInlet View Elementary celebrates opening ribbon cutting ceremony ‘We’re kind of on our own up here:’ Sen. Murkowski on new federal aid for rural villages, Halong recovery
FNSBSD Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Dr. Luke Meinert Christina Turman State Board Of Education Extended Learning Program Class Sizes Elementary Instrumental Music Alaska Association Of School Boards Jennifer Redmond
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