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Committee advances Cambridge Preparatory Academy waiver after heated questions on timing and local impact
Summary
A Utah State Board of Education committee voted 3-2 to send Cambridge Preparatory Academy's request to waive the Oct. 1 charter-notification deadline to the full board, after the school's founders said a building unexpectedly became available and local board members warned of potential impacts on nearby districts' funding and staffing.
Cambridge Preparatory Academy asked the Utah State Board of Education committee to waive R277-552, the rule requiring notification to the board by Oct. 1 of the year before a charter opens, arguing the school only recently secured a building and is ready to enroll students this fall.
Stan Lockhart, chairman of the Cambridge Preparatory Academy board, told the committee that the charter has been in development for nine years and that Charter One will operate the school. "We've been marketing since August 2025 with 680 interested families," Lockhart said, adding that Cambridge expects a full K— enrollment of about 450 students and finalists for school leadership. He said the applicant has curriculum plans, partnerships with UVU for teacher micro-credentials, and a pool of teachers and students ready to proceed.
The application already received approval from the State Charter School Board, staff said, but several committee members pressed Cambridge representatives on why they sought the Oct. 1 waiver after a January approval and whether granting it would "skip the line" for limited startup funds. "If you've been working on this for nine years, why did we wait this late in the game past the October 1st deadline?" Vice Chair Ballinger asked. Cambridge replied that their approval did not include an immediately available facility and that a building recently opened, creating urgency to avoid idling a ready school building.
Shaa Warick, representing the Utah School Boards Association and a member of the Nebo School Board, warned that nearby districts are facing declining enrollment and called for time to "regroup and plan" before a new charter draws students. "Nebo school district has had declining enrollment this past year," Warick said. Committee members noted Nebo had signaled concern: the district recently voted to study closing two elementary schools.
Deputy Superintendent Scott Jones and other staff explained how state funding is adjusted after October counts and that the state conducts a midyear update; they said some startup distributions and revolving loan options are available but that final budget effects depend on October headcounts. Committee members raised the recent legislative change removing "hold harmless" protections as a reason for caution.
After extended questioning, the committee chair moved approval to forward the waiver to the full board. The motion passed 3-2; members recorded concerns that could be amplified at the full board hearing. The committee chair told Cambridge to consider the questions raised and to provide additional materials before the board vote.
The full board will consider the waiver at its next meeting; committee members urged Cambridge and affected districts to continue communications in the interim.
