School board OKs charter high school

SANDPOINT - Sandpoint Charter School will be hitting the books hard in the coming months.

But the reason has nothing to do with the new school year which begins Tuesday.

Instead, the school and its supporters will begin working on the details of adding a high school under its charter.

Lake Pend Oreille School District trustees voted unanimously to extend the school's charter Tuesday during its regular board meeting held at Farmin Stidwell Elementary.

The school anticipates an enrollment of 50 and 60 students its first year, said principal Alan Millar. The first year, the school would offer only freshman and sophomore classes.

The decision causes some concern related to how it will affect enrollment at Sandpoint High School, said board president Vickie Pfeifer.

The district has suffered from declining enrollment in recent years, including a significant decrease which led to the district reducing 33-plus staff positions beginning this fall.

"It's a big factor for us," Pfeifer said.

At the same time, she said she believes in there being more choices available for education, adding that it is quite possible that Sandpoint Charter School will attract home school students and students who might otherwise choose to attend virtual academies, she said.

In fact, Supt. Dick Cvitanich said concern for students' education drove some of the conversation between himself and Millar related to extending the school's charter.

Both believe that students learn far more in a classroom setting with teachers present.

"This is about you guys doing the best for kids," said Millar.

Board member Steve Youngdahl said competition is healthy and that this new relationship should be good for both schools.

"The bottom line is that it is best for the kids," he said.

Cvitanich also defended Sandpoint High School, saying "we have a very good high school, but acknowledged that both schools cannot serve the needs of all students.

Overall, the charter school's enrollment will be no larger than 400 students in grade six through 12.

Millar said the charter school's board will look at several options related to location of the high school — either leasing property, adding portables at its existing site or building a facility.

He expects it will first lease a site.

The school has received a $10,000 donation this week to help with the startup should the charter extension be approved and it is likely that it will receive $25,000 in federal funds through the state for start-up charters, Millar said.

 He also said the school can tap into a USDA loan - something it has done in the past and expects to do again next year to replace the roof on its existing building.

The district does not have any financial liability should the charter school run into problems, although it does have financial oversight for the school.