The Idaho Public Charter School Commission approved a new Elevate Academy location in Kuna on Thursday.
The Elevate Charter Network currently operates five career technical education schools for at-risk students in grades 6- 12 across Idaho.
Elevate has rapidly expanded in Idaho with the charter network’s first school opening in Caldwell in 2019. Since then, the group has opened schools in Nampa (2022), Post Falls (2022), Idaho Falls (2024) and has one more school set to open in Twin Falls in 2026.
The Kuna school would open in Fall 2027.
The school would operate on a year-round model with four days a week of traditionally scheduled school and the fifth day reserved for intervention for students struggling academically.
The Kuna School District is experiencing overcrowding, Elevate’s application for authorization pointed out. And the district has struggled to expand to alleviate the crowding with a failed bond in 2023.
Elevate Academy Kuna would help alleviate that overcrowding by enrolling 332 in the first year with the goal of enrolling 488 students by year three.
The school would offer areas of study like welding and fabrication, computer science and medical arts. The Elevate staff plans to conduct interviews with local business leaders and cement industry partnerships in Kuna that will help them decide which other fields of study to offer that fit employment needs in the community, CEO and C0-Founder Monica White told the commission during their meeting Thursday.
Vice Chair of the Commission, Sharilyn Bair, got emotional when thanking White for her work at Elevate thus far.
“We have a plethora of K-8 charter schools and it is a rare month that I don’t personally get a question about ‘Where does my kid go next?,” Bair said.
There is a shortage of charter schools focused on the secondary grades in Idaho, she said, and Elevate fills that need for students struggling in traditional school programs.
Bair thanked White for including succession planning in Elevate’s proposal. The district recently rolled out a program to train future administrators, which Bair said protects the hard work already done by current Elevate leaders.
The commission unanimously approved a six-year charter.
Chief Tahgee up to date on reporting requirements
Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy in Fort Hall, which has a history of late and missing state reports, is back on track, Jessica Wilson, school director told the commission Thursday.
In 2022, the commission added a condition to the school’s charter renewal agreement, designed to correct “chronically late reporting practices.” This year, the school failed to submit one required report to the commission. Two other reports, required by the Idaho Department of Education, were late.
The commission took no action in June on those conditions and instructed to report back this month.
The school is now up to date with all reports, Wilson said.
Since then, the school has hired a new principal, after the prior principal retired, and joined the Increase Charter Support Program, through the commission, where the executive director and trustees receive training, support and mentorship.
Wilson also presented a plan to the commission to stay on track with reporting requirements.
Gem Prep Online’s transfer approved
Gem Prep Online’s application to transfer its charter from the White Pine School District to the commission was unanimously approved with a 12-year authorization.
The application was presented in August but technical questions about the lengthy of the authorization delayed approval.
