Horizon says computer, district problems to blame

PALMER -- Horizon Charter School, a home-school charter program that opened in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District this year, is facing the possibility of contract termination due to testing problems earlier this spring. While admitting that there appears to be some discrepancy between the students enrolled on hard paper at the school and the students enrolled in the district's computer system -- causing problems while testing some students -- Horizon principal Yolanda Paez said that problems with getting the computer system working at the school and a lack of responsiveness to get those problems fixed by the district played a large role in the testing irregularities.

"It's like a car, you turn it on and it sputters and sputters and sputters," said Paez while describing some of the problems with the computers. "Maybe it idles for a minute, then it turns off."

While Horizon staff said they attempted to get students enrolled by e-mailing, faxing and hand delivering the paperwork to the district when the computer system was down, somehow some of the students they had on paper were not enrolled in the district's computer enrollment system.

"Our rule of thumb is only students with an enrollment form and who have been physically here [are enrolled]," said Paez, who also said that her staff had no reason to believe the student's had not been electronically enrolled. "I think a large portion of the problem was the fact that the district has exclusive rights to a program for student enrollment, transfer and withdrawal."

This year the district's enrollment system changed to a program called Maximus. The change came at mid-year, so Horizon staff was struggling with the old program while the technical assistance staff at the district were learning a new program. That, along with not having a secretary for the first part of the school year, made it difficult for the staff at the school to accurately get students enrolled, Paez said.

"In October after pressing the issue with the district, the district came back with [its] response," Paez said. "The reason we couldn't have a secretary was because we didn't have 200 students."

Paez said she attempted to get the secretary position posted on the district's job site numerous times before finally finding out why the district would not post the position. Not having someone whose job it was to figure out the enrollment program, Paez said, was part of the problem with the enrollment discrepancies.

Paez said a half-time secretary came on staff only after one of her other teachers was moved from the school, without any notice from the district to the principal that the special education teacher was going to transfer.

A parent at Horizon, Joy Vaughn, said her main concern is that the district seemed unavailable to help the new school work out its start-up problems, and is now ready to throw in the towel.

"We just don't understand why there was such a lack of responsiveness," Vaughn said.

When asked about the different problems the staff and parents at Horizon have voiced, chief school administrator Bob Doyle said the district has recommended the contract termination, and that the contract is between the Academic Policy Committee and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board.

"This is not about miscommunication or lack of support. This is strictly about accountability and the school's responsibility to meet state mandates and the district requirements," Doyle said.

The testing discrepancies were serious enough to warrant a letter from the Department of Education and Early Development to Doyle about concerns with the school.

"I have been exploring the possibility that there was a breach of test security during these testing irregularities," wrote Cathy Anderegg, assessment administrator for DEED. Because of the difference between students enrolled and students tested, DEED has asked the district to research whether Horizon disclosed questions contained on the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam at a time other than the specified time and date for the test administration. The district has not released a statement proving or disproving this questioned breach of testing security.

Despite the questions brought up by DEED and the problems the school has had with the district this year, Paez said she is hoping for a 'yes' vote for keeping the charter's contract valid by the board.

"We still want to work with the district in a positive, cooperative manner, despite the stuff we need to deal with now," Paez said.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.