Douglas County SD 4 board unanimously denies renewed charter request for Phoenix School of Roseburg

The Douglas County SD 4 Board of Directors voted unanimously to deny the revised charter renewal request for Phoenix School of Roseburg following a public hearing at which Phoenix staff and supporters urged the district to allow the school more time to implement reforms.

The decision follows a multi-month review that included a 72-page renewal report the district received on May 14, 2025, an initial board denial, and a subsequent revised submission and addendum from Phoenix dated June 11 and June 13. The board cited the district—s evaluation process and requirements under state statute (referenced in the record as ORS 338.658(a)) in moving to deny the revised request and directed the superintendent to send formal notice to the charter school of the board—s decision.

At the start of the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Michelle Nee opened a public hearing on the revised renewal request and explained the hearing format: up to 15 speakers sharing comments during a 30-minute window, with two minutes per speaker.

Three speakers representing Phoenix addressed the board. Laurie Newton, who identified herself as interim executive director of Phoenix School of Roseburg, thanked the board for past support and apologized for a scheduling mix-up, saying the organization has two entities under the Phoenix umbrella. Newton said, "Phoenix was a mess at the beginning of this school year. I didn't know how big really until I got in the weeds, and I'm not sure that we could have met what we were asked to meet in one year's time." She added that many of the required policy and procedural changes take time to implement.

Christie Wurst, who said she serves as HR manager and board clerk for Phoenix, described recent staffing and governance changes, including new board members and an active search for a permanent executive director. Wurst asked the board to consider the school's role beyond diplomas, noting programs and services that address homelessness and mental health: "I would encourage you to go beyond looking just at, are they getting a high school diploma?" she said, adding that Phoenix provides workforce programs and referrals for social services.

Longtime Phoenix employee Melanie Morrow, who said she started working at Phoenix in 1996, urged the board to preserve the school's hands-on and life-skills approach to instruction. Morrow recounted past practices that integrated cooking and practical skills into academic lessons and said Phoenix provides options for students who struggle in larger settings: "We need to continue having a facility that students who cannot make it in a large facility, they have an option to go someplace else where they can receive the food if they need it because kids can't learn if they're hungry," she said.

Board materials presented during the meeting reviewed the charter's timeline: Phoenix is in year five of a five-year charter term; the charter missed its original renewal deadline and the board granted an extension on Jan. 8, 2025. The board received a 72-page renewal report on May 14, 2025, and after an initial denial, Phoenix submitted a revised request (June 11) and an addendum (June 13). The superintendent circulated a 52-page district response to the revised materials to board members ahead of the meeting.

A board member moved to deny the revised renewal request, citing that the charter did not meet the criteria identified in the district's review and in the statute referenced in the record. The motion received a second and passed unanimously; no roll-call vote naming individual directors was recorded in the meeting transcript. The board explicitly directed the superintendent to send notice of the decision to Phoenix School of Roseburg.

The meeting record shows no further board discussion on next-step remedies or appeals timelines during the session. Public commenters emphasized Phoenix—s services for high-need students and requested additional time to implement reforms; the board's action denied the renewed sponsorship request under the district—s evaluation process.