Charter school approvals, committee assignments highlight school board meeting

Four local charter schools all had their charter renewal applications approved during the December 4 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) school board meeting.

American Charter Academy charter, Birchtree Charter School charter, Academy Charter School charter, and Midnight Sun Charter School are all set to expire on June 30, 2025.

Following reviews by a committee selected by the MSBSD Superintendent, Dr. Randy Trani, the updated renewal applications must first be reviewed by the school board.

“I just want to say thank you to the charter schools for the work that really went into those (applications.) I was very impressed with the detail that was in there, and I was really excited to be able to read,” said MSBSD President Kathy McCollum about the expansive applications the charter schools must complete.

All of the charter school renewal recommendations were passed unanimously.

The next step is for the applications to be provided to the State Board of Education & Early Development for final approval. The renewal application must address all required sections of the renewal application provided by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). Specific formatting, narratives, and appendices must also be provided.

In other board-related business, the school board discussed and revised the committee assignments, which typically comes after the election of the officers of the school board.

For the Joint MSB Assembly/District/School Board Committee on School Issues, which hosts informal discussion on issues affecting the School District and Borough, MSBSD school board members Thomas Bergey, Brooks Pitcher, and Andrew Shane were selected.

Borough Area Schools Site Selection committee serve as a representative of the Mat-Su School Board and assist with acquiring sites for future schools. The members comprising this committee include Bergey and Ted Swanson.

Mat-Su Central School Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) represents the school board on the Mat Su Central AAC and provides a voice in the school decision-making and policy development. Members Kendall Kruse was selected to serve on that committee.

Ole Larson, Pitcher, and Kruse were selected to the all-important School Board Policy Committee, which reviews policy and recommend changes and revisions of current policies

Academic Advocacy Council (formerly Curriculum Council), which represent the Board at Curriculum Council meetings selected McCollum, Kruse, and Shane.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the MSBSD school board will be held December 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the MSBSD central office in Palmer.