Launching the Campaign for students and site

Palouse Prairie Charter School seeks students, site

Proposed school has first hearing before Idaho Public Charter School Commission

By Kate Baldwin, Daily News staff writer

Monday, April 9, 2007 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM

The Palouse Prairie Charter School is looking for students and a building before its second hearing with the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, which is set for May 24.

"What we are setting out to do is to find 140 kids and a facility by May 24," said Nils Peterson, who serves as the proposed charter school's board chairman.

Peterson compared these requirements for getting a charter to the classic chicken-and-egg problem.

"Without a chicken, it's hard to do some of these things," he said. "The commission is very clear: 'You get the egg and we'll give you the chicken.' "

Peterson was one of four board members and other supporters who attended the April 5 hearing in Boise. They presented their proposal and answered questions from the commission and its staff.

"I was encouraged by how positive they were," Peterson said.

He said three members of the commission already had had positive experiences with the proposed school's Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model of learning, "so they were supportive of the model we were choosing."

The commission did raise concerns about the school's plans for transpor tation and its ability to find an external academic auditor.

Peterson said these solutions are quite easy. The proposed school would use a group called the Idaho Charter School Network to perform the academic audit. Meanwhile, Moscow School District Superintendent Candis Donicht offered the transportation solution. Peterson said Donicht gave her assurances at the meeting that the charter school will be able to contract with the district for those services.

The commission also set the date for the proposed Palouse Prairie Charter School to return, but did not make a final decision on its petition.

"We didn't expect a final answer," Peterson said. "The commission sent us back to work on two things."

The commission wanted to know if the Moscow community was big enough to support two charter schools and if a facility could be found that will get zoning approval.

"In Moscow, there is the complicating factor that you can't put a school anywhere without a (conditional use permit)," he said.

Peterson said the proposed school's board is brainstorming solutions for these two issues. There already are about 90 students on the list of interested families, so establishing a solid plan for a facility likely will be the bigger challenge.

There are many ideas out there. Peterson said the school could be housed in a shared public building, in a mobile unit on a vacant lot, or even in a mall.

"We'll be appealing to the community," Peterson said.

He said there are plans to grow support through a number of upcoming events like spring tours of other expeditionary learning schools on Friday and May 4, and a workshop on understanding student portfolios on May 26. There also is a tentative community meeting scheduled for May 31 in the 1912 Center in Moscow.

Board members previously have funded the school's start-up costs out of their own pockets.

"We're at the point where we need to raise funds," Peterson said.

He said the proposed charter school is operating in "year zero" because there will be many costs before the doors can open. The pieces needed for this phase range from hiring a director and teachers to buying furniture and supplies.

Peterson said once the charter is approved, it can receive an advance from the state. That money would come out of its first year's budget.

"If we spend the advance, we'd be robbing Peter to pay Paul," he said.

Peterson said the proposed school is ready for any help to step forward, through donations or other support.

"We need some kind of an angel," he said.

* More information on the school and the upcoming tours, workshops, and community meeting can be found at palouseprairieschool.org. Interested parties also can call Jessica Rivers at (208) 858-2025 to sign up for these activities.

QUICKREAD

* WHAT HAPPENED: The proposed Palouse Prairie Charter School presented its petition for permission to operate to the Idaho Public Charter School Commission.

* WHAT IT MEANS: The commission advised the proposed school on its concerns for a building, whether enough students are available and other technical needs. The commission also set a date for the proposed school's board members to return with a plan for addressing these issues.

* WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: The proposed charter school will return to the commission on May 24 for its second hearing.

* WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: The school is projected to open in August 2008 with approximately 125 students. It would serve students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with the goal of growing to serve students in seventh and eighth grades. The school follows the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model of learning, which focuses on academic content and real-world projects.

Kate Baldwin can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail at kbaldwin@dnews.com.

Palouse Prairie Charter School nears a milestone

Idaho Public Charter School Commission to receive proposed Moscow school's petition in April

By Kate Baldwin, Daily News staff writer

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 - Page Updated at 11:41:42 AM

The proposed Palouse Prairie Charter School could be one step closer to opening.

Palouse Prairie Charter School Board Chairman Nils Peterson said the Idaho Public Charter School Commission is scheduled to receive the school's charter petition at its April 5 meeting in Boise.

"The important part is it starts the clock," he said. "It's exciting as a milestone. This whole thing is a process."

The commission will have 60 days to hold a public meeting after it receives the charter. From the date of the meeting, the commission will have another 60 days to hold a hearing and render a decision.

Getting an early start makes a big difference for a new charter school trying to open, since Idaho law only allows six new public charter schools to open each year. These schools are chosen based on the time of their application.

According to the commission's manual for charter schools, "as new charter schools are approved each year, the State Board of Education assigns them numbers on a chronological basis. The six public charter schools authorized to begin instruction during a given school year will be those that have been assigned the lowest numbers."

Each charter school has its own focus.

The Palouse Prairie Charter School is projected to open in August 2008 with approximately 125 students, which is roughly the same size as the Moscow Charter School. The school will serve students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with the goal of growing to serve students in seventh and eighth grades.

The Palouse Prairie Charter School will use the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model of learning, which focuses on academic content and real-world projects. More than 140 schools across the nation are now using this system.

"The schools are not carbon copies of each other," Peterson said.

The Palouse Prairie Charter School Board is organizing spring expeditions to review some of the regional ELOB schools including Summit School in Spokane Valley and Kettle Falls Elementary School in Kettle Falls, Wash. These schools were developed by Lorri Edwards, a school designer based in Spokane.

Peterson said he expects that Edwards will be assigned to develop the curriculum and programs at the proposed Moscow school as well.

The tours of these schools are open to parents, teachers and students in the University of Idaho and Washington State University colleges of education. They will meet Edwards and get to ask questions.

"We want participants to bring back something for themselves and the community," he said.

Peterson said expedition participants may be asked to form their own mini-projects, similar to the projects that future students will complete, to try out the system during the tours. He said each participant can come up with their own contribution during the day trips. These might look like a letter to the editor or a suggestion for the student handbook.

"It's not a big-time commitment beyond the trip itself," he said. "What I hope is the participants will use their time in their carpool to reflect on what they saw and how that differs from a traditional school."

Peterson said the board also is organizing a workshop for parents to learn more about how to talk about schoolwork and assignments with their children. It will also show parents how to use the school's rubrics, which are the qualitative assessment tools to measure progress and learning.

Peterson said he got the idea while working to develop the rubrics for the proposed charter school. At the same time, he was trying to talk to his daughter about her Montessori school and her artwork.

"I wanted to say more to my daughter than 'I like it' when she showed me a drawing," he said. "Other parents are faced with the same challenge of talking with their child about their child's learning."

Peterson said the workshop will give parents a chance to think about other constructive ways to engage their child.

"I hope that these activities give the community a richer sense of what the Palouse Prairie Charter School will be," he said.

n The expedition to Summit School in the Spokane Valley will be April 13. The expedition to Kettle Falls Elementary School will be May 4. The workshop will take place sometime after spring break. Those interested in participating may contact Peterson at nilspete@gmail.com, or Jessica Rivers by phone at (208) 858-2025, or by e-mail at bjzrivers@cpcinternet.com.

Kate Baldwin can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail at kbaldwin@dnews.com.