Parents and teachers press board to reverse Pearl Creek closure, ask waiver for charter/magnet proposals

Dozens of parents, teachers and community members told the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District board on Feb. 18 that the decision to close Pearl Creek Elementary should be reconsidered and that the district should waive its Oct. 1 application deadline so the community’s STEAM magnet or a charter application can move forward for the 2025–26 school year.

The plea came during the meeting’s public-comment hour, where speakers linked the closure decision to broader budget choices and urged the board to give a community-developed alternative “due diligence.” “I am here today asking you to reconsider your vote to close Pearl Creek Elementary and to give the Steam Magnet School proposal close consideration and due diligence,” said Heidi Wood, who identified herself as a Fairbanks resident and a member of the Pearl Creek campaign.

Supporters described a months-long volunteer effort to prepare a charter application and said they filed a formal notice of intent on Feb. 10 and a complete charter application the week of the meeting. Several speakers invoked district policy and state law while arguing the district should not block access to district facilities. “According to policy 935.2, you cannot outright deny our application for a charter school based on an untimely NOI,” Wood said. Other commenters cited what they described as Alaska statutory requirements about offering space to charters; one witness referenced “statute 14 0 3 2 50” in testimony.

Why it matters: Pearl Creek’s supporters and other speakers said converting the school to a magnet or charter would preserve neighborhood capacity and could increase enrollment and revenue for the district, potentially offsetting closure savings. Pearl Creek advocates presented enrollment projections and fundraising plans they say would make the program financially viable in year one.

Arguments from the public frequently followed the same themes: loss of community and institutional knowledge if the school is closed; long charter wait lists in other borough schools; estimates that sizable numbers of Pearl Creek students would leave the district if the school closed; and requests to either reverse the closure decision or fast-track a charter/magnet transition so the building and programs would remain in use next year.

Several speakers described concrete proposals: a STEAM magnet model with field labs and Fridays devoted to applied learning; a charter with open boundaries expected to increase first-year enrollment; and shared-space models or homeschool-hub alternatives for sites such as 2 Rivers and other closed or downsized schools. “If a revote is not possible, please consider our charter school application with an open mind,” Wood told trustees.

Board response and next steps: Board members said they heard the testimony but indicated they would follow existing policy and legal advice before altering the review timeline. Vice President Maple said she had considered the request but opposed an immediate waiver, noting the board had recently completed a multiweek budget and consolidation process and that reinstating enrollment or adding a charter now would increase the district’s projected shortfall. “If right now we decide to add any school back in… it will mean further increases to PTR,” Maple said, referring to proposed pupil-to-teacher ratio increases outlined later in the evening’s budget presentation.

President Burnett echoed the need to follow legal process. Legal counsel and the superintendent advised the board that charter applications should be processed under the district’s established policy timetable; trustees said they would consider the formal requests in the standard cycle and seek further legal guidance. Several board members urged public advocacy to borough and state officials as the district seeks supplemental revenue.

Other community testimony: Witnesses from other affected communities — including 2 Rivers and Midnight Sun — asked for similar consideration or support to convert closed neighborhood schools to charters or hybrid homeschool hubs. Multiple commenters said they had filed letters of intent or were preparing charter applications, and some asked the board to waive the district’s Oct. 1 deadline for new charters so schools could operate next fall rather than wait a year.

What the record shows: The board did not take an immediate vote to waive the deadline or re-open a closed school on Feb. 18. Trustees approved a variety of routine agenda actions earlier in the meeting but deferred any change to charter-application timing to regular policy procedures; board leaders said legal review and the district’s administrative regulations must guide how facilities and applications are handled.

What’s next: Community organizers have said they will continue to press the district and, if necessary, appeal decisions to the Alaska Department of Education. Board members encouraged citizens to contact borough assembly members and state legislators to advocate for stable funding and policy answers.