News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Facing possible charter termination due to declining enrollment, parents of children who attend the Sisters Charter Academy of Fine Arts turned out in force at last Wednesday's school board meeting to defend what they consider a vital educational option in Sisters.
"We couldn't have designed a program ourselves that better meets our needs," said parent Keri McDowell, who has two children in the school.
She said the school is "an invaluable amenity to a small town. It's amazing that it's here."
Charter schools are part of the public education system and do not charge tuition. They are generally small schools offering a targeted curriculum. They are held accountable to meet certain standards through their charter contract with the sponsoring school district.
Kay Hill said the intimate school setting is ideal for her child, who is overwhelmed in a classroom environment with large numbers of children.
"This school could become one of your crown jewels if you just give it a chance to thrive," she said.
The problem facing the school district is that the charter academy is not financially viable and has never met the state-mandated enrollment level of 25 students. Currently, there are 12 students at the academy.
The Sisters School Board has instructed its attorneys to terminate the school's contract with the district, identifying three areas of "deficiency."
Those areas are: financial viability; minimum enrollment requirements (which the state can waive); and the need to amend the school's contract with the Sisters School District to reflect a shift in methodology in the past year.
"If these deficiencies are corrected in the next 60 days, the contract will not be terminated," said school board chair, Christine Jones.
There are three paths open to the school. They could simply go out of business, which neither parents nor staff want to see happen. They could gain sufficient enrollment to become financially viable through their state funding level.
At least one parent thinks that's possible.
Ty Hunter testified, "I think if low numbers are the problem, I think it's just a matter of letting people know that it's available to
everyone."
Some parents think the perception in the community is that the charter academy is a private school, which it is not.
The third option, which is clearly the path chosen by charter academy staff, is to fold the "whole child" classroom education of the charter academy under the charter of Sisters AllPrep (formerly Sisters Web Academy).
Teresa Schneiderman, principal of both academies, presented a proposal to make Sisters AllPrep Academy a "hybrid school" offering both online and classroom options for "personalized education."
Board members said they would need a more detailed proposal that addresses legal questions that might arise in making such a change. They urged Schneiderman to quickly come up with a proposal that can be vetted by the district's attorneys.
The board made no promises but indicated that they are open to considering changes that would allow the academy to continue under different auspices.
One significant concern is the ability to demonstrate that taking on the financially struggling charter academy won't damage the financial viability of the Web academy.
Board member Glen Lasken assured the parents that the board is not hostile to the charter school. "I think everybody in this room, myself included, thinks this is a great idea and want it to succeed," he said. "That's why I voted for it in the first place."
However, he cautioned, the board is dealing with public monies and the statutes that go along with that fiduciary responsibility.
"Charter schools are a very valuable addition to the choices available to parents in the community," Jones said. "The question comes down to what are the legal steps that need to be fulfilled."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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