Kenai Peninsula district leaders urge school board to reject Soldotna Elementary charter

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District leaders are urging the Board of Education to reject a parent and staff proposal to convert Soldotna Elementary into a charter school. The board is scheduled to vote at its 6 pm business meeting Monday in Soldotna.

The district recommendation says the district supports educational choice but lists four problems that keep officials from determining whether the school could operate successfully and meet legal requirements.

District leadership found about $1.1 million in differences between the application's projected spending and the district's own estimates, mostly in staffing, benefits, utilities, curriculum and district services. Costs for technology, furniture and equipment remain unresolved.

The application names no secured building. The district plans to move Soldotna Elementary and Redoubt Elementary students into a newly renovated facility. The existing Soldotna Elementary building is set aside for Soldotna Montessori Charter School and the Connections Correspondence Program, and part of it is scheduled for demolition. The application prefers staying in the current building but lists alternatives, including space in the Soldotna Prep or Redoubt buildings.

District leaders said the transportation plan does not set bus routes, rider eligibility, capacity or costs. They also said automatically enrolling students from the current attendance boundary does not clearly set out an application and admission process that complies with state charter law and district policy. Charter enrollment must rest on family choice, the recommendation said, rather than an automatic transfer of students from a neighborhood school.

The applicants propose that regular district registration serve as each family's application and choice to attend, with a random lottery for out-of-area students if there are more applicants than seats. They say the approach "preserves voluntary attendance, reduces administrative barriers, and maintains neighborhood access."

The application proposes a K-6 school for about 290 students built around science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math, with specialists in science, music and physical education. District buses and meals would continue. It projects about $6 million in revenue for fiscal year 2028. In a non-binding survey, 47 families representing 77 children said they were very or somewhat likely to enroll, and 14 teachers said they were likely to teach there.

The group submitted the application Sept. 30. A district charter oversight committee reviewed it Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, and the board reviewed it at an Oct. 26 work session, as Alaska News reported Oct. 23. A charter needs approval from both the district board and the Alaska State Board of Education.

Residents may testify on action items Monday. Advance registration is not required.