By DAVID BOYLE
As the legendary radio newsman Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story.”
More information has been gathered regarding the change of the Family Partnership Charter School to a correspondence school since the initial story about the dispute.
Previously, we reported that parents testified at the last school board meeting that the FPCS principal did not attend the March 20 Anchorage board meeting which had the school’s charter on its agenda. We’ve learned that Principal Jessica Parker could not attend because she was attending a Family Partnership Charter School board meeting that same night.
Contrary to testimony at the last school board meeting, cited in our article, Parker appears not to have coordinated on the ASD superintendent’s letter to the school regarding changing the school from a charter to a correspondence school.
Some parents also testified at the March 20 board meeting that the principal had received notification four days before the FPCS Board was notified.
New information indicates that Parker only received notification of this letter the same day as the FPCS board.
The Family Partnership Charter School has the most students of any school in the Anchorage School District — more than 1,700. It is a very successful school with proficiency test scores in reading and math 60% and 40% respectively, much higher than the average scores in Anchorage public schools
This school is so popular that there are more than 500 students competing for 100 slots in the next lottery. Parents recognize the Family Partnership Charter School provides curriculum choices which they can tailor to fit their child’s needs.
Today, parents of FPCS students can choose from four pathways to tailor their child’s education. These include a virtual school; a home school; a hybrid of ASD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, home school; and total private schools.
Despite its success in educating students, the FPCS has a very dysfunctional board, the Academic Policy Committee, which sets policy for the school. According to information we’ve recently received, the board is divided into two camps- one that favors keeping the current curriculum choices and another that wants to remove the private content providers.
Those who want to keep the current successful charter school curriculum choices also want to keep the current principal.
Those who want to change the curriculum by removing the private content providers oppose the principal.
Additionally, further board dysfunction is stoked by one member whose teacher spouse was not retained. This board member is pursuing a lawsuit against the principal and the Anchorage School District.
The district attempted to help the charter school board by sending representatives from the Alaska School Board Association. Its recommendation was to fire the entire board. That was unacceptable to the board, so it dismissed the ASBA.
In the last year, eight board members have resigned. In the last two months the board has met 12 times, including two regular meetings and 10 special meetings.
Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt has promised to keep the same curriculum for the Family Partnership Charter School as long as it follows state law.
He has also promised there will be no change to student allotments, which now start at $4,200 for elementary FPCS students.
Bryantt has promised that the principal, dean of students, and the business manager will be retained.
Bryantt promised that all funds will remain with the school. There is one problem with this promise: The FPCS charter states that, “Upon termination, charter school shall immediately return any unused funds to the District.”
These promises are set forth in the FAQs at this link.
The entire issue of transitioning the Family Partnership Charter School to a family correspondence school rests on trust in Superintendent Bryantt, who has made some big promises to seal the deal with the ASD School Board.
The ASD Board meets on April 3 to vote on the superintendent’s recommendation.
Can the Anchorage community trust Bryantt to keep his promises to parents and their children?
David Boyle is the education writer for Must Read Alaska.
