Central Point, Ore. – Madrone Trail Charter School’s five year charter expires in June, and the school has a long way to go if it wants to save its charter.
Medford school district gave the school a list of things to fix before it would consider final approval of the charter. The district has already voted to approve the renewal as long as the school fixes some things first.
The district sent a letter in March informing the school it had 60 days to fix problems, or the charter may not be renewed.
“This is not a termination letter, and to my knowledge Medford school district has not voted to terminate the contract according to legal council this is a notice and an opportunity to cure,” said School board chairman Monica Rathjen.
Topping the list of issues is the school’s board. Before last night, the school board had only five members, three of which were current teachers or staff. The district says the set up creates a conflict of interest when the board votes on topics directly related to the staff.
As of Wednesday night, there were three more non-faculty members added to ensure there is always a vote for the board.
Another issue is the budget. The school’s proposed budget for the next academic year has Madrone Trail operating at a $150,000 deficit. The deficit includes the paid, year long sabbaticals of two teachers. The district says, the deficit isn’t acceptable and needs to be addressed.
If these issues aren’t addressed, the school could face the end of its charter without the possibility of renewal.
“If Madrone Trail does not comply with its charter, then the charter will be terminated at the end of the school year, this serves as the sixty day notice of the possibility of termination due to non compliance required by our charter.”
Board Chairman Monica Rathjen says that these are just the initial negotiations of the charter, and she is hopeful the board will be able to address the remaining issues to ensure the renewal of the charter.
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