DAurora Borealis Charter High School Application (ABCHS)
Item Details
- Meeting
- December 3, 2018 – Board of Education Meeting
- Category
- 11. Action Items
- Type
- Action item
- Recommended action
- Move to approve the Aurora Borealis Charter High School Application, with the condition that a separate building that meets Group E (Educational) occupancy will be obtained for year two and beyond.
Motions
Move to approve the Aurora Borealis Charter High School Application, with the condition that a separate building that meets Group E (Educational) occupancy will be obtained for year two and beyond.
Moved by Zen Kelly · Seconded by Matt Morse
Yes: Dan Castimore, Debbie Cary, Greg Madden, Jason Tauriainen, Lynn Hohl, Matt Morse, Mike Illg, Penny Vadla, Zen Kelly
Move to amend to add the following conditions: to modify the charter to include student transportation services, to include student nutrition services, and to remove the lottery preference for current Aurora Borealis Charter School students.
Moved by Dan Castimore · Seconded by Jason Tauriainen
Yes: Dan Castimore, Debbie Cary, Greg Madden, Jason Tauriainen, Lynn Hohl, Matt Morse, Mike Illg, Penny Vadla, Zen Kelly
Public Content
Administration has several concerns about the proposed ABC High School Charter Application. The concerns have to do with proposed facilities, enrollment procedures and demographics of the School. The largest concern has to do with the uncertainty of a long term plan for facilities that meet the Group E (educational) occupancy requirements. KPBSD previously approved a charter application for Greatland Charter School without a specific facility that met the Group E (educational) occupancy requirements. Greatland Charter School was not able to find a facility meeting the requirements and because of that never actually opened. Based on this past experience, Administration is hesitant to recommend the approval of a charter without a facility that meets the Group E (educational) occupancy requirements.
Administration does not recommend approval at this time.
REVISED
Dec. 3, 2018
After meeting with the Aurora Borealis Charter High School Academic Policy Committee (APC), and talking with Paul Prussing, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DOEED), on Thursday, November 29, 2018, administration has decided to change the recommendation in favor of granting the charter application submitted.
During the meeting with the APC, the APC members shared that they had met the previous evening and indicated that they had voted to have school transportation, and school lunch included and provided to students of the proposed Charter High School. These changes will be reflected in the application. They also indicated that they were willing to work on and address the demographic concerns raised by the district. An agreement for the school to work with District Administration on creating an action plan in regards to demographic concerns was reached.
Subsequent to meeting with the APC members on Thursday, Paul Prussing from AK DOEED called the district to talk about district concerns with the application. Mr. Prussing shared that giving admission preference to existing ABC 8th grade students could be viewed as a barrier to admission for non-ABC students, and as such could result in a civil rights equity claim. As such, the granting of preference to existing ABC 8th grade students will be removed from the application. In response to the district’s concern about having a building that meets Group E (Educational) occupancy for year two of the plan, Mr. Prussing shared that the district could condition approval for year two of the Charter Application upon the attainment of a building that meets Group E (Educational) occupancy for year two of the plan.
Administration recommends the board approve the Aurora Borealis Charter High School Application, with the condition that a separate building that meets Group E (Educational) occupancy will be obtained for year two and beyond.