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Elko charter principal reports academic gains, gets 8‑year renewal; charter remains accountable to performance benchmarks
Summary
Ashley Perkins, principal of the Elko Charter School (ELCO Institute for Academic Achievement), told commissioners the school received an eight-year charter renewal, reported midyear SBAC projections that would move its elementary and middle schools toward five-star ratings, and described enrollment, funding and transportation updates.
Ashley Perkins, principal of the Elko Charter School (presenting for the ELCO Institute for Academic Achievement), updated the Elko County Commission on the school's first year in its new building, academic outcomes, enrollment and funding.
Perkins said the campus upgrade has improved operations and donor recognition on-site. She reported the charter authority renewed the school’s charter for eight years in the most recent round of renewals; Perkins stressed that the renewal is conditional on continued compliance with academic, organizational and financial frameworks.
On academics, Perkins said last year the school’s elementary program was rated four stars and the middle school five stars under the previous SBAC framework; midyear data for the current year were trending higher, and districtwide midyear proficiency numbers she cited included elementary math approximately 76% and ELA about 74% in recent midyear measures. “All of our grade levels and all of our content areas was above 60% proficient,” Perkins said, describing curriculum and schedule changes—such as 90 minutes daily for core middle-school instruction—that staff credit for improvements.
Perkins described enrollment logistics: the charter contract authorizes 396 students (with a 10% margin), the school operates a lottery for admissions with statutory exceptions for certain categories (foster students, staff children, siblings) and Perkins said the school maintains an active waitlist. She noted the school’s special-education population is about 16% (compared with a state average near 12–14%).
On finances and operations, Perkins noted annual financial audits (an extra audit required by a USDA loan), general parity for per-pupil funding with district schools but limited eligibility for certain targeted pots of funding, and recent transportation funding of roughly $180,000 to buy two buses. On the prospect of expanding to a high school, she said rural charters face substantial additional costs and operational complexity and the school is exploring options but has not committed to expansion.
Commissioners praised the school’s progress, asked questions about enrollment and staffing, and were provided with data and contact points for follow up. The presentation was informational; no county action was required.
