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Board signs letter of support for Redbarn Schoolhouse charter project
Summary
The board authorized its chair to sign a letter of support for the Redbarn Schoolhouse, a K–5 nature- and arts-integrated charter near Crescent that has state approval and a $500,000 startup grant, to help the project move to construction and community outreach phases.
The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize the chair to sign a letter of support for the Redbarn Schoolhouse, a proposed K–5 nature- and arts-integrated charter school to be built on just over 5 acres near Crescent.
Karen Homanick, a member of the school's governing board, said the school was approved by the Iowa State Board of Education in January 2025 and that the project has received a $500,000 state start-up grant. "We have a $500,000 state start up grant," she said, and described plans for outdoor, experiential learning and a phased construction plan that starts with a roughly 4,000-square-foot building for about 45 students in the first year.
Presenters asked the supervisors for a letter of community support to aid the school's fundraising and permitting efforts; the board moved and seconded a motion to allow the chair to sign such a letter and approved it by voice vote. Board members discussed reimbursement formulas for per-pupil funding and noted the school's plan to partner with regional education agencies and community organizations.
The board did not commit county funds; the authorized letter is an expression of local support to assist the charter as it pursues construction and enrollment.
