Sky Mountain requests five-year charter renewal, cites above‑state outcomes

Sky Mountain Charter School asked the Lucerne Valley Unified School District board to approve a five‑year charter renewal through 2031, presenting state and local performance data the school says justify continued authorization.

Karen Ames, identifying herself as an executive director with Sky Mountain, told trustees the school has produced “verified academic outcomes, maintained fiscal and operational compliance, and continues to meet a significant community need,” and formally requested approval of a 2026–2031 renewal. Presenter Sarah Gasly and Ames highlighted dashboard results the presenters said show English learner progress and ELA increases in multiple student groups. Ames noted the school’s 97.7% graduation rate over recent years and called attention to an expansion of career and technical education offerings and more than 400 concurrent‑enrollment approvals.

Ames said Sky Mountain serves TK–12 students across multiple counties and emphasized longitudinal assessment data as evidence of growth for students who remain enrolled: “the more time students have spent with us, the better the performance outcomes on I Ready.” The presenters also said that while college and career indicators (CCI) remain an area for growth, they have demonstrated improvement for a second consecutive year.

Board members thanked the team for the presentation and noted community demand; no formal board decision on the renewal was recorded at the public‑hearing presentation (the charter renewal notice appeared later on the agenda and public notice requirements were discussed).