Kenai Peninsula school board takes up revised Soldotna Elementary charter plan Monday

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education will review a revised plan to convert Soldotna Elementary into a charter school at a work session Monday, Oct. 26, at 10 am in Soldotna. It is listed for discussion, not a vote.

The district's Charter School Oversight Committee, which took the plan back up Oct. 19, gave feedback and sent it to the full board.

The plan would convert the K-6 neighborhood school into a charter serving about 290 students starting in 2027-28. Families inside the attendance boundary could enroll through normal district registration, with no charter application or lottery. Those who decline would be placed at another district school. Out-of-area families can apply year-round.

The revised budget projects $5,999,196 in first-year revenue, up $145,000 from the Oct. 19 version. The difference is a state charter school grant of $500 per student. The district would keep $1,327,052 for central administrative work such as payroll and accounting, for services such as audits, maintenance and insurance, and for facility and rent. That leaves the school $4,672,144, against planned spending of $4,623,535.

The revision raises special education aide staffing to 7.92 full-time positions from 7.33, and total staffing to about 34.70 from 33.72. It projects that 25.9% of students would need special education services, with a $1,747,299 budget for them. It also adds $100,000 for curriculum and $45,000 for technology.

The committee first heard the application Oct. 5 and postponed it. Minutes show Superintendent Clayton Holland, Chair Tim Daugharty and member Ash-Lee Waddell raised the building and its future use. Two charter school principals on the committee, Kyle Darbonne and Cody McCanna, asked about families who don't want a charter. McCanna said a charter school usually provides something the community does not already have.

The building question remains open. An Oct. 19 update to the committee lists three options: the existing building, the Soldotna Prep or Redoubt campus, or another district, borough or leased facility.

In the applicants' survey, 49 of 57 responding families, with 79 children, said they were very or somewhat likely to attend, out of an estimated 184 school families. Fourteen of 16 responding teachers said they were likely to teach there.

The applicants say the school would not require parent participation. "Our goal is to reduce barriers to entry for families, not increase them," their presentation says.

Under district charter rules, the local board must approve the application before it goes to the State Board of Education.