A charter school could possibly be coming to Lava Hot Springs
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LAVA HOT SPRINGS — A new charter school could be on the way for Lava Hot Springs.
For the last year, there’s been discussion about whether or not the Marsh Valley School District Board of Trustees would close the sole remaining school in the town. At the board meeting on Feb. 12, the trustees voted to begin the next steps in investigating whether a charter school would be right for the area.
“There’s certain situations where a charter school makes sense and actually they thrive, and so this is an opportunity to think outside the box,” said Paige Armstrong, chairperson of the school board.
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Armstrong said there’s a small student population of only 58 students at Lava Elementary School and that charter schools have more flexibility in the budget to operate with a low student population.
“This is an opportunity to keep that school open, but tap into the flexibility that is offered under the umbrella of a charter that would allow that school to operate within the financial constraints that comes with a low student population,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the district feels like there are students currently homeschooling who would come back to class in-person if there was a charter school available.
“We’re hoping that this will be an opportunity to meet the needs of kids that have chosen to be homeschooled or have chosen to go online,” Armstrong said.
Marsh Valley School District has received $135,000 from the state of Idaho to pay a fellow, which is a position similar to a principal, to work with the community to put together a proposal for a new charter school.
Kolleen DeGraff, who founded one of Utah’s first charter schools, has come forward as a candidate for the fellowship.
The fellow will also work with Bluum, the non-profit agency the state of Idaho has charged with overseeing the establishment of charter schools.
For Megan Reno, a Lava Hot Springs real estate agent who also started the Facebook group SOS- Lava Save our School, the decision makes her excited.
“I feel like this is a way to innovate our kids’ education,” Reno said.
If a Lava Hot Springs charter school becomes a reality, the new school would be established in the same building where Lava Elementary School currently resides.
“We have a really cool gym and some really cool history there, so I’m excited that we’ll be able to keep the same school,” Reno said.
Rather then have the School Board select the fellow, they elected to instead pass that responsibility over to the community of Lava Hot Springs.
On Feb. 22, there will be an open meeting at the Lava Senior Center & Community Center where the community will select the Charter Committee, made up of community members with varying skills.
“The first step is seeing kind of what talents we have in the community and putting it to work,” Reno said.
The community will also meet the candidates for the charter school’s fellowship.
Other people who are interested in becoming the fellow can still apply by reaching out on the SOS Facebook page or contacting Reno directly.
Armstrong said that the Charter Committee will then be tasked with bringing a creative model to the district that maps out their vision for the school.
Reno said she was proud of the community effort they’ve put into making sure there’s a school in Lava Hot Springs. While she started SOS, she said that it’s been a group effort.
“The community (loves) our kids, and it was a thing to bond over,” Reno said. “It made me realize how grateful I am and how important my child’s education is.”