School District 25 competes with new charter school

Driving along Philbin Rd. by I-86, some folks might have noticed a brand, new building under construction.

That 50,000 sq. ft. building will serve as the new Academy Charter School, come this fall.

The Academy Charter School principal Joel Lovstedt said for the past nine years, the school has been operating at full capacity with an extensive waiting list.

“It has been frustrating over the years to see the number of families who are discouraged because they get on the waiting list and then they don’t make it in,” Lovstedt said. “We believe that just about everybody who wants to come in will have a good chance.”

The Academy currently serves 280 students, but this new building will push attendance up to 550 students, with some coming as far away as Inkom.

Although the $6.5 million dollar facility will be entirely funded by the private, east coast-based company Building Hope, charter schools are publicly funded by the state at a smaller, pupil-to-teacher ratio.

Whereas, local school districts receive funding based on enrollment numbers.

And this has been an ongoing concern with school districts across the country.

School District 25 superintendent Mary Vagner said this funding model is more advantageous for charter schools versus the traditional brick and mortar public schools.

“The reality is that anytime a new school opens in a community operating outside of the school district, and it’s larger than what currently exists, it’s going to draw numbers away from the public school,” Vagner said. “So, this means we lose enrollment which, in turn, interprets to a drop in our funding level.”

Lovstedt said charter schools traditionally receive less money and do not receive any chance to push for a levy.

“I know what they go through, and I know they are hardworking, good people. However, I’m under the same constraints they are, but I cannot raise a levy,” Lovstedt said.

But Vagner said charter schools also operate under less pricey circumstances.

“Charter schools aren’t required to provide transportation for students and they also don’t have to provide school lunch programs,” Vagner added.

Lovstedt said there is a national push for more charter schools by parents who feel traditional public schools are too full.

“We are going to relieve some of the stress from the schools around here who are so full. So, in a way, we’re actually helping the other schools around here,” Lovstedt said.

Nevertheless, Vagner and the school district will still have to compete to keep students in the district classrooms in order to not lose funding from the state, which has already been an ongoing struggle for school districts across the country.