Birchtree putting down roots

MAT-SU — It seems the organizers behind the Valley’s newest charter school are moving right along with plans to open this coming school year.

In a pair of meetings this week, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly approved the site school organizers chose for the school and then the school board approved a lease agreement for the site.

Birchtree Charter School, according to its organizers, will be what’s described as a “Waldorf-inspired” school. Waldorf is a type of education that takes into account children’s developmental stages and delays certain subjects until students’ brains are more receptive. It also puts a greater emphasis on arts, handicrafts, experiencing nature and ancient myths.

As for the school site, requests for a suitable site specified that the school should be between Bogard Road and the Parks Highway and between Seward Meridian Parkway and Trunk Road.

According to a memo the new school’s principal, Susan McCauley, wrote to the assembly, one company submitted a proposal and it was deemed suitable. The building is a 14,000 square-foot facility on a 14-acre lot at 7101 E. Palmer-Wasilla Highway. The site sits between the highway and Finger Lake Road, very close to where Schelin Spur connects to Palmer-Wasilla.

The lease agreement isn’t quite final yet. Lori Berrigan, one of the school’s organizers, said that, “There’s still a few tweaks here and there happening on it.”

School board members didn’t say much about the lease at their meeting Wednesday except to note the approval was not absolute.

“We agree that the attorney can review it and make changes and negotiate those changes with the landlord,” said board member Ole Larson.

“It’s all going to be contingent on our attorneys looking over them,” said board president Colleen Vague.

On other fronts the school is also progressing. According to the school’s website a dozen teachers have been hired to teach eight grade levels — kindergarten through seventh grade.

As for enrollment, the school is still accepting applications from interested parents and says that spots are still open in some grades. Parents can apply online at birchtreecharterschool.org.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.