Kenai’s Aurora Borealis Charter School is still fighting for a high school program. The K-8 school pitched two new grades – ninth and tenth – to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s charter school committee Monday in Soldotna.
The request comes about two months after the school board rejected a similar request to add four new grade levels – ninth through twelfth. The board was concerned about conflicts over building space. The charter school shares a building with the Kenai Alternative School, which serves at-risk students. ABC proposed expanding into the alternative school’s classrooms, which would require that program to relocate.
If the proposal crosses the finish line, the charter school, also known as ABC, would become the district’s first charter high school. The school opened in the late 1990s.
This time around, ABC says adding two grades instead of four means they can expand their program without kicking out Kenai Alternative. Darren Henry is the vice chair of ABC’s governing committee. He says local parents have long been interested in adding a high school program, and in alternative education programs generally.
“We're hearing from families that have taken their students out of the district into a homeschooling environment, whether maybe, maybe, some of them are in Connections, but some are in IDEA and then, you know, there is an interest for some of those families to come back into a conventional brick-and-mortar school, and that's why we're back here doing this again,” he said.
If the school’s new proposal is approved, ninth and tenth grades would be added for the upcoming school year. ABC Principal Cody McCanna says the school would add about 25 students across both grades, with priority given to ABC graduates and rising students. Remaining slots would be offered through the school’s existing lottery enrollment system.
It’s been a busy few years for charter schools on the Kenai Peninsula. A couple of months ago, the board approved one in Nikolaevsk that’s scheduled to welcome students in the fall. And another hosted by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe opened its doors last year.
ABC is one of five – soon to be six – charter schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Charter schools are public schools, but they’re run by an advisory committee made up of parents and teachers who pick the school’s curriculum, principal and spending plan.
ABC offers what it calls a classical education model – students take Latin, wear uniforms and are evaluated before enrollment to determine academic placement. The school doesn’t provide student transportation or hot meals and emphasizes parent involvement in student success.
Tim Daugharty chairs the district’s charter school committee. On Monday, he emphasized the need for a spirit of collaboration as ABC’s request moves forward.
“At the last meeting, I was very proud of the students who spoke,” he said of previous meetings where the board considered ABC’s high school request. “That was a very cool highlight and that kind of stuff, but I was disappointed, and probably in myself also, of the way that some of us adults acted or portrayed ourselves. So please, let's continue this process. Let's work hard, and we all are in this together.”
ABC’s charter was most recently renewed in 2024 after contentious meetings where district staff questioned whether the school adequately serves students with disabilities and low-income families.
Although the committee voted to advance the school’s request, it’s far from a done deal. The proposal now goes before school board members for a work session. If the application is approved there, it must be approved during a regular school board meeting. Then, the proposal goes to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and the state school board.
