Charter Academy May Fill Up Quickly Application Forms Gone Quickly At Open House

FOR THE RECORD: April 10, 1999: Story wrong: A story in Friday’s paper incorrectly stated the number of charter schools approved in Idaho since an enabling law took effect. There are now six charters approved in the state.

They need walls and chairs and desks and computers.

But judging by the turnout Thursday at the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy’s open house, the new school likely won’t be lacking for students.

Organizers had 300 applications available at the school in the former Duncan’s Gardens Center building at 711 W. Kathleen Ave. They ran out about an hour into the event.

“It’s a historic moment for education in Kootenai County,” charter school board member and Coeur d’Alene attorney Norm Gissel told the crowd.

The Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, a rigorous college preparatory school, is scheduled to open in September. The Lake City’s first charter school will serve a maximum of 200 students in grades seven through 10 during the first year. It will expand to 11th and 12th grades, with a cap of 400 students, in three years.

“It’s something exciting,” said Irene Daanen, who is thinking of enrolling her seventh- and ninth-graders in the school. “It’s something people have been waiting for. This is another option we’re exploring, but the public schools have served us really well.”

Last year, Idaho became one of about 30 states that allow charter schools. The publicly funded schools must follow all federal and state laws. They operate under a charter approved by the local school board and state Department of Education that dictates how the school will run. Unlike private schools, charter schools are free and cannot have selective enrollment policies.

The Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy is the fifth such school approved by the state since the law took effect July 1. Two charters were granted in Moscow, with the others in Boise and Arco.

Wendy Wise said she became interested in the academy for her daughter, Miranda, because of the school’s academic focus.

“An accelerated curriculum that gets into more detail,” Wise said of the school’s benefits. “It pushes them a bit harder.”

Miranda, 14, seemed a bit less enthused.

“It’ll be harder,” she said, flipping through the brochures.

Bill Proser, the school’s founder and principal, emphasized that point.

“The C will come back into vogue in this school,” said Proser, a longtime Coeur d’Alene teacher. “Our mission is to produce the finest students in the state of Idaho. … The idea of this school is very simple. It’s to take the same dedication, the same energy we have in athletics and apply it to the academic realm.”

The 17,224-square-foot site will be remodeled this summer to create nine classrooms for science, math, history and English.

This sidebar appeared with the story: DEADLINE The school’s application deadline is May 8. Applications are available by calling 664-2900.