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By LAKESHIA KNARR
MILL HALL – What is expected to be the final portion of the public hearing on whether or not the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School’s charter should be renewed is slated for tonight.
The hearing begins at 6 p.m. in the Central Mountain High School library and will last no later than 10 p.m.
Once the hearing concludes, both sides will prepare and submit a brief containing arguments as to why the charter should or shouldn’t be renewed.
The school board will then adopt one of the briefs or create a new one, according to Keystone Central Solicitor David Lindsay. If the board adopts the charter school’s version, the charter is granted. If it doesn’t, the briefs will be sent on to the state Charter Appeal Board (CAB).
The five-year charter was denied this year by a 7-2 vote in January, with board members Roger Elling and Deb Smith voting to approve it. Board members Albert Jones, James Knauff, Wayne Koch, Jack Peters, Charles Rosamilia, Thomas Shafer and Gregory Strouse voted against the charter.
SVRCS was granted its first five-year charter by order of the CAB in December 1999, after Keystone Central denied it. Keystone again denied the charter in 2004 and 2009. The decisions were appealed to the CAB, who granted the charter to SVRCS in both cases.
Written testimony regarding the charter’s renewal may be sent to Joellen Chapelle by noon today and must include the name and address of the person submitting the request, the identification or the relationship of the sender to the district or charter school, and a description of the support or objection to the charter.
A sign-in sheet will be available at the hearing.
The SVRCS charter is available for review during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Keystone Central administration office.