• Crowd packs Donn Wooden Civic Center. Charter board coming Sept. 18.

Alpine residents packed the Donn Wooden Civic Center Wednesday Sept. 11 to hear a report and offer comment on a proposed charter school for the community.

The meeting was under the direction of Alpine Mayor Eric Green and town council with members of the charter school meeting seated at the front to help field questions.

Council members attending, included Jeremy Larsen, Frank Dickerson, Emily Castillo and Andrea Burchard.

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The mayor advised the meeting would focus on public input while a decision is still pending. One key decision comes from the Wyoming State Charter Board, scheduled to meet in Alpine on Sept. 18. Those meetings are set for 2 and 5 p.m. on this Wednesday at the Civic Center.

The town offered an extensive timeline of events over many years that led to consideration of a Charter Facility in 2024. Events started with annexation of town property in 1993 that would allow for a school, followed by master plans and zoning updates through and after the turn of the century.

Land use decisions were followed by the designation of an Alpine Education Committee tasked with finding a path to a new school.

With the recent proposal for a charter school, a specific committee was formed to plan and lend support to that project.

There was general support for the charter school at the Sept. 11 meeting, while a decision on location drew a variety of responses with site plans ranging from the bench area, a river walk location or placement by the library. The school would be built on town leased land.

While a decision on location is pending, Charter Board Member and advisor Jeff Daughtery suggested that a decision could lead to student enrollment as early as 2025.

“This is a chance to build something truly extraordinary, a world class school,” said Steve Funk, a resident at the airport who was instrumental in launching the project along with several community members.

He is also a key funding source for the start-up of the school. Funk said an estimated $200,000 had been spent thus far in studies, planning and visits to other charter facilities.

The proposal calls for the school to be operated by American Preparatory Academy, (APA). Carolyn Sharette, representing APA, explained the school’s model included a classical education program based on rigger and character development.

Curriculum was questioned but the mayor emphasized the meeting was about general approval of a school, with additional details to continue at a later date.

A repetitive request at the meeting called for an emphasis to be placed on student enrollment coming from Alpine.  Mayor Green, advised Alpine residents should be a priority and it was noted that if demand exceeded enrollment availability, a lottery system would be applied for applicants.