Mat-Su school board denies bid to reopen Meadow Lakes school as charter

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District board on Wednesday formally denied a Meadow Lakes group's application to open Alaska Adventure Charter School in the closed Meadow Lakes Elementary building on Pittman Road.

Board members Brooks Pitcher, Ole Larson, Vice President Andrew Shane and President Kathy McCollum voted 4-0 to approve the written decision denying the application. Three members were absent. Superintendent Randy Trani said the decision would go to the state and to the applicant Thursday.

The Meadow Lakes Community Council Public Education Committee applied Sept. 11. It proposed a K-8 school with a place-based, outdoor curriculum, opening in 2027-28 under a 10-year term. It would have served 200 students, including students in the district's RISE program, plus about 50 correspondence students.

The district closed Meadow Lakes Elementary in fiscal year 2026. The building has no attendance area or bus routes. The district uses it for Twindly Bridge Charter School, Child Find and Mat-Su Central advisors.

How the Vote Unfolded

At a special meeting in Palmer on Monday, Oct. 19, a motion to approve the charter needed four yes votes. Five members voted no: Kendal Kruse, Larson, Pitcher, Shane and McCollum. Tom Bergey, attending remotely, had disconnected and did not vote. Lorie Colee was absent.

The District's Case for Denial

The administration's review recommended denial. It found 46 of the application's 52 components partially compliant or noncompliant.

The two budgets differed sharply. The applicants projected about $3.97 million in revenue and a surplus near $460,000. The district estimated about $2.66 million in revenue and a deficit near $1 million, and put the net cost to its operating budget at about $1.5 million. Reopening the building would add about $309,000 a year in operations, utilities and energy, the review said. About 41% of the application's revenue came from RISE, which the review called a district magnet program the charter cannot treat as its own.

The decision says the application had no proposed contract with the district and no lease for the building, which the decision called "a material deficiency." The decision also cites a one-year budget for a 10-year term; safety concerns over K-8 use of ATVs, dirt bikes, side-by-sides and snow machines; and a staffing ratio that depends on volunteers. Approval, it says, would undo the stabilization the 2026 closures and redistricting were meant to provide.

The review says charters already enroll 12.6% of district students. The two schools nearest Meadow Lakes are charters with a combined waitlist of 30.

Community Voices at the Hearing

Supporters spoke at the Oct. 19 hearing, according to the recording's automated captions. Camden Yehle, a parent who presented for the group, said she hoped the board would approve with some contingencies. Josh Velasquez, vice president of the Meadow Lakes Community Council, asked the board by phone to "work with the founding team to address any remaining requirements." Borough Assembly member Ron Bernier said his district lost two schools last season.

Two letters in the board packet backed the charter. No one spoke or wrote against it in the records reviewed.

After Wednesday's vote, Shane said, "It's unfortunate that we were not able to get that approved for them." Pitcher said he hopes the applicants "plug the holes in their plan and come back."

The group can appeal to the state education commissioner within 60 days of the written decision. If the commissioner upholds the denial, it can appeal to the State Board of Education and Early Development within 30 days. A district official said the group can also file a modified application at any time, which the district would review within another 60 days.