Charter schools closer to better buildings

PALMER — When all was said and done, a pair of charter schools got exactly what they came for at Tuesday’s Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting.

Fronteras Charter School, a Spanish-language immersion school, got authorization to use a parcel of borough-owned land for a future permanent school. Academy Charter School got the extra $278,812 it needs to double the number of classrooms that will be built with a state grant.

A third change for charter schools also passed, according to a borough press release. The assembly decided to increase by $139,000 the money it’s giving to schools this year. That figure is what charter schools paid in property taxes, and the understanding was that the money would go back to those schools.

Academy got a $1.5 million appropriation from the state to build classrooms. Currently, the school housed in portable classrooms and decommissioned buildings. But when it came down to getting a bid for how to build classrooms, it became clear an extra $278,812 could double that space, building 10 instead of five classrooms.

“You have before you the opportunity to build for the future of our community by getting us out of the back 40 and situated in a modern, full facility for a whole school,” Academy Charter history teacher Edward Reilly told the assembly.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss praised Academy for its efforts in Juneau this year.

“I was down there last Friday and I wanted to sit in the House chambers and I couldn’t get in the door because Academy had everything full,” he said.

Assemblyman Warren Keogh was really the only member to express reservations in the deal. He said that the fund the money was to come out of was set aside to buy land for schools. The assembly has drawn from that account three times, and one of those draws was for Academy.

“If we do this to the tune of nearly $300,000, what is to stop another charter school, or any school for that matter, coming forward and saying would like to tap this fund,” Keogh asked. “Are we going to say yes to Academy twice but no to others?”

Assemblyman Steve Colligan said he supported it.

“We’ve been talking about value propositions all night and I just think this is a high-value proposition to the community,” he said.

Assemblymen Darcie Salmon and Vern Halter agreed.

“You don’t want to use that money for frivolous things, but this is not one of those. This is an easy one for me,” Halter said.

Colver tried to assuage some of Keogh’s fears, referring to a massive raft of school bonds voters passed in the last election.

“When we go back to the $214 million bond package, not one penny was in there for any charter facilities and those parents are paying the same taxes as anyone else,” Colver said.

DeVilbiss pointed out that the borough actually couldn’t put any charter funding in that bond package because the state wouldn’t have been able to match the borough’s funds.

The measure eventually passed by unanimous consent.

The approval of Fronteras’ school site drew a similarly unanimous vote and a similarly vocal turnout from parents, teachers and administrators. Fronteras Principal Jennifer Schmidt said that the goals in getting a permanent facility are to increase safety for the students — who right now have to walk across a sometimes frozen playground to go to the library or music classes — expand the student population and get enough space to hold parent meetings and other large gatherings.

“We can’t do this unless we have the correct facility,” she said.

Other parents and teachers pointed out that the current facility uses a trash can for a basketball hoop and has a carpeted gymnasium. The classrooms are half the size of regular classrooms.

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