Valley Tech seeks students and salvation

MAT-SU — Nestled between undeveloped land and Knik-Goose Bay Road, two blue and yellow signs mark the proposed site for Valley Tech High. The signs fight the winter weather, much like the struggle organizers are having to make the planned charter school happen.

George Troxel, superintendent of the Mat-Su School District, recently recommended the Mat-Su Borough School District Board of Education terminate Valley Tech’s charter. The board is expected to reach a decision Feb. 6 at its next meeting.

“In my mind, they’re in the last hour and time has run out,” Troxel said of Valley Tech High’s window of opportunity. Since the school was approved last January, organizers have made progress, but not enough for Troxel to believe it would be ready to accept students for a projected August opening, he said.

Along with being behind schedule, the school has other issues that may lead to the cancellation of its charter, Troxel said. The school is considering a 30-year lease that starts at $385,000 a year with an additional 3 percent increase each year. The lease was offered by Charter School Land Solutions, a company based in Utah.

Troxel said there are a couple of problems with the lease. First, it’s too expensive. Compared to three other similar-size schools, the proposed 20,000-square-foot facility is about 62 percent more expensive per square foot. In addition to cost, the school district usually limits its leases to a time frame of three years, he said. This allows the district to avoid long-term investments that could be troublesome in times of economic downturn.

Ken Ray, former president of the school’s Academic Policy Committee (APC), recently resigned due to a chronic illness. Despite his resignation, he plans to help the school and board members whenever possible.

At this point, the future of the proposed charter school is in the hands of parents and prospective students, Ray said. With a limited number of students enrolled and a shortage of committee members with education experience, it’s up to community members to step up and help the school move from concept to reality.

Originally, board members received compensation for their efforts, but when the money ran out so did several of the board members, Ray said. Now, the board is made up of volunteers — all parents of Valley students.

“One of the coolest parts is that parents are running the show now,” Ray said.

Now the school’s APC is dedicated to providing a new and beneficial experience for Valley students, Ray said. Overall, he believes the school would be a good addition to the community and fill a need for alternatives to traditional education opportunities.

“What is kind of neat is that you see the sparkle in parents’ eyes because they want something better for their kids,” he said.

With the resignation of Ray, Lori Edwards has stepped up to fill the leadership role for Valley Tech High. Edwards said one of the largest challenges has been getting students to commit to the school in advance.

“Right now we only have about 40 students, which is unfortunate,” Edwards said. “But without having a budget for advertising a lot of parents don’t realize there is a deadline for enrollment.”

Edwards said many parents and prospective students have expressed interest in the school, but the immediacy of enrollment hasn’t been hitting home. Overall, most parents don’t feel a need to enroll their kids a year in advance and prefer to wait until the school year closes in.

Despite the challenges and possible charter termination, Edwards said she isn’t ready to give up on the school.

“We’re still moving forward and we’re still trying to get more enrollment,” she said. “Right now we would really love to have another 110 applicants so the school board will accept a proposed lease.”

For more information about Valley Tech High visit www.valleytechhigh.org or call 373-3703.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.