While the Winter Sports School in Park City (WSS) application to become a charter school may be on hold, it’s anything but dead. In a recent Park City Board of Education meeting, board members voted to table the talks to incorporate the private school into the district.
“I think it was the proper decision had to make at time,” said WSS Head of School Rob Clayton. “Given the level of information they had, they were right to follow the direction of the superintendent and the business administrator.”
WSS is a full-year high school for students in grades 9 through 12 with an academic calendar opposite from a typical school year. The school year runs from mid-April to mid-November, and the winter months are the equivalent of a summer break, a schedule that allows the student athletes to train and compete.
WSS is hoping to join the district and rent space in the Park City High School for its students.
In a meeting earlier this month, members of the Park City Board of Education discussed the viability of turning the WSS into a Park City School District charter school, with budgetary issues at the forefront of the discussions.
“The board supports the general concept,” said Moe Hickey, The Park City Board of Education President.”
The larger concern is that board members understand everything in the application, which would be treated like a contract if approved.
“We want to make the right decision,” Hickey added.
The PCSD anticipated that a new WSS charter school would cost $350,000 from district funds in its first year to operate classroom space, buy school supplies, and pay for teachers and utilities. Even after tuitions and state funding, using current budgeting models, WSS would still cost $285,000 by the time it would be fully implemented after five years.
“There are some budgetary issues that need to be hammered out,” said Todd Hauber, the PCSD Business Administrator. ” Also, the question of governance is a concern, like how will the school board oversee the WSS Board of Trustees or how will the two come together to be supportive for the charter school.”
Members voted to revisit the application, which contains more than 150 pages worth of information and policy, once administrators and board members have the opportunity to spend more time on the application. Clayton said he hopes to see the application back on the docket next month.
“At that time, the school board will be able to make a well-informed decision,” he said.
Staff of the Park City Education Foundation, a local education-based nonprofit, believe the organization may receive an anonymous donation of $250,000. While no formal pledge has been made, discussions are taking place that the funds could go toward supporting initial costs in setting up WSS as a charter school, Hauber said.
“This money would serve as a bridge,” Clayton said, “but the donation has not been formalized yet. The anonymous donor was willing to step up, to get others to rally and bridge the initial start-up costs of school. It’s a significant gift, and to me, that resonates what the community wants to see happen.”
The school board is expected to make a decision in time for the application to continue to the State Charter School Board, which will grant final status and secure state funding for the district. If the application is accepted this year, WSS hopes to start their upcoming school year this spring in the PCHS.