The Mat-Su Borough School Board rejected a proposed charter school in Meadow Lakes at a special meeting on Monday.
It voted 5-0 against the plan.
The proposed Alaska Adventure Charter School would serve about 200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Its focus is outdoor exploration and adventure-based learning. The school would use the Meadow Lakes Elementary School building.
The district closed Meadow Lakes Elementary last year. It was one of three schools shut to close a budget shortfall of over $20 million. About 200 Meadow Lakes students moved to Big Lake, Houston, Knik, and Goose Bay elementary schools.
Members of the Meadow Lakes Community Council helped write the charter proposal. They hoped to fill the gap left by the closure. Council member Camden Yehle says parents want a school close to home.
District officials raised two concerns. The charter would cost the district about $1.5 million. This erases the savings from closing Meadow Lakes Elementary School. Officials also found problems in 46 of the 52 sections of the application. The problems ranged from a missing signature to missing staffing details.
Superintendent Randy Trani recommended the board deny the application as submitted. Board member Lorie Colee was absent for the vote. Member Tom Bergey lost his phone connection just before the vote. The remaining five board members voted unanimously against the proposal.
District officials said they had no time to give feedback on the application. A 2014 state law gives the district 60 days to hold a hearing, vote, and issue a written decision. The board’s election-season break cut that window to about 40 days.
Officials say successful charter applications usually take years of planning. That gives applicants time to get feedback. Knik Charter School followed that path in 2021. It is the only charter school to open in the district in over a decade.
Organizers Yehle and Alan Leonard did not want to wait years. They worked to meet the October 1 deadline. They want to open in the next school year.
Yehle and Leonard said district officials were unwilling to work with them right away. They also said they did not know about the problems with the application until the hearing on Monday.
The decision mirrors a case in Fairbanks. Parents sought a charter school in the closed Pearl Creek Elementary building. The Fairbanks school board rejected that plan. The state later approved it. That started a legal dispute. It remains unresolved.
Leonard says he will talk with supporters before deciding next steps. His options include revising and reapplying or appealing to the state. He does not want to burden the district with repeated applications.
Leonard said they are still committed to the concept. He said, “We’ll take time to talk to people.”
The Mat-Su School District currently has seven charter schools.
This story was condensed for radio from matsusentinel.com with the help of AI.
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