Coos Bay district holds public hearing as Lighthouse School seeks charter renewal
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Summary
Parents and the school director urged Coos Bay School District trustees to renew the Lighthouse Charter School’s contract, citing its Waldorf‑inspired curriculum, community supports and roughly 200 students; the board opened the hearing and said it will consider the renewal at a future meeting.
Coos Bay School District trustees opened a public hearing on the Lighthouse Charter School’s renewal, heard supportive testimony from parents and the school’s director, and said the renewal will be considered at a future board discussion.
During the hearing, two parents and the school director described Lighthouse as a K–8 public charter with a Waldorf‑inspired main lesson structure and a variety of electives and extracurricular clubs. "Without this Coos Bay School District, the Lighthouse School would not be able to exist," said Stephanie Metzgerly, who identified herself as a parent and a board member at Lighthouse and thanked the district for sponsoring the charter "for the past nearly 10 years." Jenny Schmidt, a Coos Bay resident and parent, highlighted the school’s outdoor‑classroom units, cross‑grade projects, main lesson books and middle‑school electives.
Shelley Lake, director of Lighthouse Charter School, said the school enrolls "just over 200 students" annually and described an expectation that families contribute "a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer support" so students see parental engagement in their education. Lake described the school’s use of thematic main‑lesson units, teacher autonomy within state standards, and expanded after‑school enrichment programs including handwork, band and math competitions. She invited board members and district administrators to visit the campus.
Board procedure at the meeting also included routine business: an attendee moved to approve the agenda, a second was recorded, and the chair declared the agenda approved after hearing no objections. The chair then opened the public hearing for Lighthouse School, noted two signed speakers and two additional chat signups, and reported that the board had received four written comments that were added to the meeting packet.
The hearing did not include a renewal vote. The board chair said the district will "take this up as a discussion item in the near future," indicating the charter renewal will return to a later meeting for formal consideration.
The board adjourned after closing public comment.