Charter school up for renewal

CARPENTERSVILLE – The District 300 school board will vote next month on whether to renew the charter of the district’s lone charter school for five years.

Cambridge Lakes Charter School just completed its second academic year in Pingree Grove. The first charter school in the area, Cambridge Lakes is a public school, chartered through District 300, and open to any District 300 student on an opt-in basis free of charge.

School board President Joe Stevens said the charter renewal was being reviewed by legal counsel, and the board is waiting to see the school’s most recent audit.

“Assuming those things look good, we are hoping to vote to extend it at the July 27 meeting,” Stevens said. “We are not anticipating any difficulty.”

The school had a rocky start. The first principal did not last through the first school year, and Pingree Grove village President Wyman “Clint” Carey set up a town hall-style meeting to open a line of communication between angry parents and school leaders.

The school’s charter is held by Northern Kane Educational Corp.

In a letter to Stevens requesting the charter renewal, the organization’s chairman, Larry Fuhrer, noted that despite the challenges of the failing economy and collapsing housing market, the school is in a “strong financial position.”

“We deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve the constituent families of the district through Cambridge Lakes Charter School,” Fuhrer wrote.

Stevens said the school board’s main responsibility in renewing the charter was to ensure that Northern Kane was in compliance with the charter, not to evaluate its educational programming.

But, Stevens said, recent test scores show that the school is holding up academically.

The school board will vote on the charter renewal July 27 at Oak Ridge School, 229 Lake Marian Road, Carpentersville.