School angers Alpine

ALPINE — Angry residents of Alpine are airing their concerns over plans to build and open a charter school in Alpine — even though no specific location for the school has been announced.

Mountainville Academy preliminarily obtained property located on 100 South but began looking for other land last month at the request of the City Council after an uproar of protest rose from residents in the neighborhood.

Indications the school might instead build on Healey Boulevard spurred an organized protest from residents in that neighborhood, many of whom have placed yellow signs in their yards that say "Residents in outrage— no charter school on Healey Boulevard."

At a city meeting Tuesday during which the charter-school proposal was discussed, Alpine Councilman Tracy Wallace said the City Council has not received an application from the charter school for the Healey site, a step that must be taken before construction can begin.

However, Troy Stout, who lives in the neighborhood, said he fears state legislation trumps the need for applications and approval, adding that he's already seen a Cat(erpillar) plow on the property.

"My key objection in this issue is the state legislation, which removes the local power and authority of the city to enforce its zoning restrictions and its master plan," Stout said. "This school does not necessarily fit within the master plan of Alpine, and Alpine has very little to say about it. To me, that is the state taking away the rights of the residents in the local community."

HB172, which allows charter schools, publicly funded schools that operate independently of school districts, to bypass existing zoning laws when choosing a building site, has been a source of frustration to Stout and city officials. Currently, the area surrounding Healey Boulevard is zoned as a residential area, Stout said.

Wallace said the legislation exists to help charter schools open before their charter expires. Charters — approval from a state or local school board to operate as a school — are granted on a short-term basis and may expire if the schools don't open within nine to 12 months after being granted the charter. Extensions can be obtained in some cases.

Mountainville Academy's charter expires Oct. 1, which means the school must find a location and complete construction by that date. The school plans to enroll 600-700 students.

"It's a horrible situation that the state Legislature has put us in as far as tying our hands about what a city can say or can't say about charter schools," Wallace said. "It's a concern when the state Legislature is basically telling the city what they can and can't do."