borr@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE - Wyoming would have its fourth charter school if the Cheyenne Classical Academy is approved.

Snowy Range Academy in Laramie opened six years ago. There are two other charter schools in Fremont County.

A charter school has its own board of directors. It is a public school that can use a different curriculum from other schools in a district.

Margarita Rovani, chairwoman of the board of directors of Snowy Range Academy, said the school was established by parents who wanted a choice in education for their children. She helped start the school.

"Charter schools can scare people," she said Wednesday, especially educators. "They think we're making a statement of what they are doing in education. That is definitely not the case."

She worked for nine years to bring about the school. There were struggles at the start, she said, but she added that Albany County District 1 school board recently renewed the charter for another five years.

"The relationship with the (school) district could not be better," she said, adding that it was antagonistic at first. "It just took some time to work the kinks out and have trust."

Albany County District 1 Superintendent Brian Recht could not be reached Wednesday.

The Laramie academy uses a Core Knowledge curriculum, Saxon Math and Spalding Language Arts.

People who want to start a charter school in Cheyenne propose using the same programs.

There are 146 students in grades K-7 at Snowy Range Academy, up from 98 when it opened. She said the school soon will add eighth grade.

The school board in Laramie approved the proposal after it was presented for the first time. It took significant work before that to bring it about, Rovani said.

Snowy Range backers didn't have a building when they went to the school board, she said. There were possibilities, but they needed the board's approval first.

School officials in Cheyenne expressed concern that the Classical Academy does not yet have a building for its proposed 2008 opening.

Snowy Range hires staff according to Albany County district policy. Teachers are eligible for tenure after working there three years. All teachers are certified.

The proposal for a charter school in Cheyenne calls for employees working at will.

LCSD1 Superintendent Ted Adams objected to that on Tuesday during a public hearing. He recommended to the school board that it deny the charter.

At will employees can be terminated at any time.

But Cheyenne Classical Academy President Carie Aslor said they would not abuse the philosophy that is based on performance by leaning on tenure.

She said they would provide support to help the staff.

"If you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, you'd still have your job, she said. "I feel pretty strongly about not tenuring our teachers.

"I want to make sure at the end of the year they are doing what they said they are going to do."

Laramie County School District 1 trustees have to decide on the application within 28 days.

Adams gave six reasons for denying it. The reasons are:

n How it's governed.

n Lack of transportation for students.

n Its educational program.

n Lack of a facility.

n Inadequate financial planning.

n Employment issues.

He said it would have little oversight from the LCSD1 school board.

Charter backers have looked at possible buildings for the school and plan to go to a real-estate agent.

But people are nervous about loaning money for a building because the charter group doesn't have a credit history, Aslor said.

They need a charter approved first, she added.

The charter recently found out that a group based in Maryland would front the cost of a building or land. But the charter has to be approved first.

Every objection Adams raised could be negotiated in a contract between the district and the charter school, Aslor added.