From Deseret News archives:
Waiting lists long for charter schools
The John Hancock Charter School in Pleasant Grove has a waiting list of close to 500, said Julie Adamic, who founded the school with her husband, David.
Timpanogos Academy, a charter school in Lindon, has about 700 students on its waiting list, said Eric Smith, the school's chief administrative officer.
Freedom Academy, a charter school serving kindergarten through sixth grades that opened last September in Provo, has about 25 students on its waiting list, but is accepting applications only from those who intend to enroll their children during the current school year, said the academy's founder Andrea Perri. If the school were taking names for next year, she estimated the list would have 150 to 200 names.
Discovery Junior High, a charter school planning to open in the Provo area next fall, already has about 45 applications for 80 spaces, said Diana West, the school's director. "We get kind of a slow, steady stream of applications even though we're not advertising yet," West said.
M. Royce Van Tassell, executive director of Education Excellence Utah, said 3,445 students are attending the schools, which operate much like private schools but use state funding and abide by state rules.
Charter schools conduct an open enrollment period and pick students through a lottery. However, state law allows the schools to give preference to the siblings of students already enrolled.
Smith said that out of the 50 new seats open for kindergartners for the 2003-04 year, 43 were taken by siblings. Timpanogos Academy instructs students in kindergarten through sixth grade and has 375 students.
"Generally, people have quit even bothering to sign up," Smith said.
Representatives of Timpanogos, John Hancock and Freedom said their schools offer a "back to basics" education. Smith said he believes this is one of the reasons why parents want to enroll their children in charter schools.
John Hancock has 184 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, restricting itself to one class per grade and about 20 students per class in order to remain a small, community school, Adamic said.
Smith said some of the applications for enrollment in the charter schools is linked to Investigations, a controversial method of teaching mathematics used in Alpine School District elementary schools.
"There's definitely huge backlash against Investigations Math," Smith said. "I can't even say the number of people that have shown up on our waiting list because of that."
The school districts are affected financially when students leave to attend a charter school and the tax dollars leave with them.
Alpine district spokeswoman Jerrilyn Mortensen said the loss is hard to assess because charter schools pull a few students from one school and a few from another. The costs to run those schools remain the same even though the district overall has lost students and therefore revenue, Mortensen said.
Comments
- 3A: Hurricane 24, Park City 19 2:29 a.m.
- GameDay back in the MWC 2:19 a.m.
- Westminster campus briefs 1:49 a.m.
- SUU campus briefs 1:48 a.m.
- Dixie campus briefs 1:47 a.m.
- Real Salt Lake gameday 1:33 a.m.
- 5A: Bingham rolls to title game 12:59 a.m.
- Aggies hope for Spartan cure 12:57 a.m.
- 5A: Miners pull tricks to win 12:56 a.m.
- 5A: Davis runs over Hunter 12:54 a.m.
- Williams leaves, won't play tonight
- Unga family is making its mark
- Selfishness to blame for Jazz woes?
- Study: Divorce likely when wife ill
- ESPN suddenly loves MWC
- Trial begins in toddler death
- Historically, Utes have owned TCU
- Two killed in Iron County crash
- Man killed during 3rd I-15 crash
- 4A: Thunderbirds dynasty lives on
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
348 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
199 - Senators want food tax restored
162 - Will state consider gay rights law?
145 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
129 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
113 - Celtics crush Jazz
103 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
102 - Matheson gets no thanks from GOP
88
If you are looking for a bird on the cheap, the following specials from...
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
True. It's not terribly funny and if it has any effect on society, it won't...
What else would you expect to find in a book called "The Founders on Religion"?
Ok not to be rude here, but check the stats, Hinds isnt first in yards and...
t-hinds = best player in utah
Anonymous: Was that English? I though conservatives believed if you are in...
Wow! Glad the Lord kept you safe. Separate comment: That was a horrible...
I have never been to a Utah high school game before as I am not from the...
It would behoove the above commenters to recall that religion, including our...
Only 8000 attendance? BYU had 16,000+ tonight. What is wrong with Ute fans?...
ian you are the 3A MVP If you win next week so just do it that would be nice....

You can be the first to comment on this story.