Parents and Lighthouse director urge Coos Bay School District to renew Lighthouse School charter

Parents, a school board member and the director of the Lighthouse School urged the Coos Bay School District to renew the charter for the K'08 public charter at a public hearing held by the district.

Stephanie Metzgerly, who identified herself as a parent and board member at Lighthouse School, thanked the district for nearly 10 years of sponsorship and said, "Without this Coos Bay School District, the Lighthouse School would not be able to exist." She described the school as a free public charter with one class per grade, a pre-K program, an outdoor classroom and a curriculum she described as Waldorf-inspired that complements state standards and testing requirements.

Jenny Schmidt, a Coos Bay resident and parent, told the board that students benefit from grade-spanning peer learning and hands-on units. She described the school's practice of keeping "main lesson books" as end-of-year portfolios that "coalesce their critical knowledge" and highlighted performances, science fairs and elective offerings that she said help students reach their potential.

Shelly Lake, director of Lighthouse Charter School, said the school has been part of the Coos Bay community since 2016 and has "just over 200 students enrolled annually." Lake described family engagement expectations, saying Lighthouse asks families to commit a minimum of 40 volunteer hours, and outlined clubs and after-school enrichment the school offers, including band, chess, archery and math competitions. She said teachers use a Waldorf-inspired main lesson structure to teach state standards through thematic, exploratory units and invited district board members and administrators to visit the school.

The board chair opened the hearing by explaining rules for public comment and noting four written comments had been added to the meeting agenda. Earlier in the meeting, a motion to approve the agenda was made by a board member identified as Kim and seconded by Diane; the chair asked for objections and, hearing none, declared the agenda approved by voice.

Board members did not take a formal vote on the charter at the hearing. The chair said the board will take the charter renewal up as a discussion item at a future meeting and will consider the written comments submitted by the public.

Authorities and clarifications recorded in the hearing included the chair's statement that as a public school Lighthouse follows state standards and testing requirements. Speakers provided background on the school's founding and campus moves (speakers variously referenced founding dates of 2001 and 2002 and a move to the Bunker Hill location in 2016), described the school's nonprofit support (Friends of Lighthouse School) and gave the director's account of enrollment and volunteer expectations.

The board did not make a decision on the charter at the hearing; the next procedural step is for the board to schedule discussion of the renewal and consider the written public comments accessible through the district agenda materials.