On Wednesday, the Dept. of Education and Earl Development (DEED) sent a letter to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District that said if they do not open Pearl Creek Charter School, “state funds may not be paid.”
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Department of Education and Earl Development sent a letter to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District on Wednesday that said if they do not open Pearl Creek Charter School, “state funds may not be paid.
” The letter comes just one day before a scheduled hearing in the district’s appeal of the State Board of Education’s decision to approve the charter school.in favor of closing three schools to balance their budget in 2025. Among those three schools was Pearl Creek Elementary School. The neighborhood school is located off of Farmers Loop Road and is connected to trail systems in the area.
At the time, school board members did not share a consensus about the decision even as the school district faced a $16 million deficit.
“I think consolidation is, at the end of the day, a student-centered decision because it will allow us to seek to serve all of our students better — even if they don’t like it and even if it’s painful,” said Meredith Maple, the school board’s vice president at the time. “We didn’t solve anything here and we didn’t stand up for our students, our educators; we did not stand up for public education.
And so, I am disappointed,” board member Tim Doran said. Following the decision from the Fairbanks school board, an Academic Policy Committee formed for a tentative Pearl Creek Charter School. The APC filed an application for the charter school with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, but that application was When speaking to the decision to deny the application, board member Bobby Burgess said “I see a lot of positive intent in this application.
There’s a really strong intention to be inclusive of all students, but the budget just doesn’t reflect this. ” Upon approval from the state board, the APC began the process of putting the school together from an operational standpoint as they had gained the ability to “secure grants and finalize partnerships, staffing plans, and operational systems,” said Jennifer Redmond, APC Member and Head of the Finance Committee.
“The cost to the district, if this school opens next fall, is several million dollars,” Burgess said. “That means that investments that we put in our recommended budget, which was passed a couple weeks ago, we’ll have to look at those investments again, potentially, if this school is going to open in the fall and likely would have to reduce them in the absence of additional funding.
” Now as the school district and the state begin litigation in the court system, Deena Bishop, the commissioner of DEED, has sent a letter to the school district threatening a loss of a state funding. According to DEED, statute 14.07.070 allows the state to withhold funds to a school district “that fails to comply with the school laws of the state or with the regulations adopted by the department.
” DEED also stated in the letter that “Alaska law mandates in the clearest possible terms that after the State Board’s approval, the local school board shall operate the charter school. ” The letter also said that “filing an appeal does not operate to stay an administrative agency decision or relieve the district of its obligation to comply with Alaska statutes.
”In kind, DEED has sent the letter to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District “as notice ... of the Department’s intent to redirect district funding ... due to the districts failure ... to operate Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School. ” The state is now asking the district to “immediately confirm the districts intent to comply,” as “failure to do so will put the districts funding at risk.
” Alaska’s News Source reached out to both the school district and the APC for the charter, but had not heard back from the district as of Thursday afternoon. The APC declined request for comment.
‘I needed to stay quiet’: North Pole senator explains last-minute retirement as Rep. Tomaszewski, wife file for Senate & House seatsLNG Special Session: Labor unions, pipeline developer sign non-binding pledge to prioritize Alaska workers ahead of key House debate State of Alaska threatens to with hold school district funding if Pearl Creek Charter School isn’t opened
Please follow us on Google to support us Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School FNSBSD APC Academic Policy Committee Dept. Of Education And Earl Development Deena Bishop Pearl Creek Elementary School Farmers Loop Road Fairbanks Meredith Maple Bobby Burgess Tim Doran Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Jennifer Redmond Funding
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Joint Commencement Ceremony Celebrates Graduates of Chatsworth Charter High School and Stoney Point Continuation High SchoolA joint commencement ceremony was held at Chatsworth Charter High School's football stadium to celebrate the graduates of Chatsworth Charter High School and Stoney Point Continuation High School.
Read more »
Philadelphia Court Blocks Charter Nonrenewal Vote for Montessori SchoolA Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge halted the School District's effort to proceed with a nonrenewal vote for Philadelphia Montessori Charter, citing the district's alleged violations of state charter law and inconsistent procedures. The ruling pauses not only the Montessori case but also any pending charter renewal or nonrenewal actions pending further court orders.
Read more »
Locke High’s grand charter school experiment faces shutdown as LAUSD moves to take back campusLAUSD wants to take back Locke high school from Green Dot after two decades. Officials say the charter school is failing; defenders want a closer look at data.
Read more »
Nebo School District stops study into closing of Cherry Creek ElementaryCherry Creek Elementary is no longer at risk of being closed following a decision by the Nebo School District to end a study into the effort.
Read more »