Board OKs just 3 charter schools

Seven new schools promising parent involvement and a better way to teach children want to open their doors to Utah kids.

But only three charter school applicants are being recommended for approval.

Thursday, each gave their pitch to the law and policy committee of the Utah State Board of Education. The full state school board votes on the applications next week.

Charter schools are public schools governed by boards of parents and teachers and are aimed at providing more choices in education. The state school board has authorized 13 since 1998.

The current applicants are:

• Ravenwood Academy, twice turned down by Davis School District was denied by the state board committee for reasons that included an accusation that the applicants were looking to the charter school business for money.

"This appears to me to be a commercial venture," board member Denis Morrill said.

Other concerns included an apparent requirement for parents to volunteer at the school, the lack of a full-time counselor and the possibility the school's building would be used improperly for religious education during non-school hours.

Applicant Jeff Herr, principal of Indian Hills Elementary in Salt Lake City, said he intends to provide a school where at-risk and low-income students could be academically challenged and become well-prepared for college. For those students who struggle or have behavior problems, Ravenwood would offer after-school homework help and weekend and night school options.

Herr said he may seek charter approval in Salt Lake or Ogden school districts. Davis administrators were not present to respond to the application.

• Moab Community School, a proposed arts-based school for kindergartners through eighth-graders, also was rejected.

Applicants described the school as a good fit for the community and a viable alternative to area schools, particularly for Hispanic and Native American students who may have unique learning styles.

But committee members questioned whether the proposed school's lessons would align with the state core curriculum and whether too much of its budget was devoted to arts.