[Daily News] Palouse Prairie denied charter

[Nils Peterson]

Be sure to read the last 2 paragraphs of this article -- the glass is
more than half full!


By Hadley Rush, Daily News staff writer

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM

Palouse Prairie Charter School officials still hope to open their
doors in fall 2009 despite having their charter application denied
last week in Boise.

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission turned down the proposed
Moscow charter school's application Thursday. It was the second time
Palouse Prairie officials had applied for a charter from the
commission.

Commission Chairman Bill Goesling of Moscow said the proposed school
will receive official notification by the end of the week, declining
its application.

He said there were two major areas of concern - the school's budget
and the lack of a suitable facility.

"When they made the first application, we (also) mentioned those
concerns," Goesling said.

Idaho Charter Schools Program Manager Tamara Baysinger said the
commission was pleased with Palouse Prairie's educational program, but
there wasn't sufficient evidence that the school would succeed
financially.

"The commission acknowledged that the petitioners did a lot of work,"
Baysinger said. "Unfortunately, there still wasn't an adequate
facility."

Baysinger said although it's possible the school still could open in
2009, that is unlikely.

The petitioners would either have to go through the appeals process or
start over with a new charter petition, which could take eight months
to a year, she said.

Nils Peterson, chairman of the Palouse Prairie board of directors, had
previously identified two possible sites for the school, including a
spot near The Silos development in east Moscow and the first floor of
the 1912 Center in Moscow.

Silos officials had offered to build a facility for the school,
Peterson said.

Peterson said a charter school commissioner had recommended Palouse
Prairie "find an angel to help with the facility issue."

"We thought we had found an angel in the offer from The Silos to build
us a facility, but commissioners expressed concerns that the facility
was small and would ... be outgrown," he said.

Peterson said the use committee for Heart of the Arts, Inc., which
manages the 1912 Center, has "provided Palouse Prairie a draft of its
application questions for tenants."

"I'm really pleased," he said. "This gets us closer to having the
conversation with HAI about leasing space."

Heart of the Arts Executive Director Jenny Sheneman has said it's
probably not feasible to have a charter school in the 1912 Center due
to space constraints.

Sheneman also has said there would be problems with parking spaces, as
well as occupancy regulations.

"It's a community center and we don't necessarily want to occupy it
with a school," Sheneman said.

Sheneman said Palouse Prairie's projected opening date also would take
the 1912 Center out of the running. The first floor of the center
likely won't be ready for occupancy until 2010.

"The timetable is just ridiculous," she said.

Peterson wrote in a Monday e-mail to the Daily News that despite
"uncertainties at present," he still thinks the 1912 Center is an
appealing option.

"We will work with (the center) to see if those (uncertainties) can be
nailed down," he wrote.

Peterson wrote that the board also will continue to look for more
location options.

"We are continuing to work with a Realtor looking for other
solutions," he wrote. "It looks like a buyers' market right now. I
welcome anyone with a creative idea."

Peterson indicated that the State Department of Education awarded a
$20,000 Vision grant to Palouse Prairie officials. The money will be
used for staff support, board training, curriculum design and planning
for the Palouse Prairie summer expedition.

Peterson said the summer expedition program is scheduled for the last
two weeks in July.

Hadley Rush can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail
at hr...@dnews.com.