Prairie Crossing wins charter renewal, with conditions

Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake will continue a mission it began 10 years ago as the first such operation in the suburbs.

Illinois State Board of Education officials voted to grant a five-year charter renewal to Prairie Crossing at a meeting Thursday. Prairie Crossing board President Geoff Deigan said the state's unanimous approval of the renewal was gratifying.

Traditional public schools aren't required to seek state approval to stay open in five-year increments. Smaller, nontraditional charter schools must go through the process.

Prairie Crossing, which has an environmentally focused curriculum for 359 students, is one of 35 charter schools in Illinois. It remains the only one in Lake County.

Open since 1999, Prairie Crossing is a public kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school. Children living within Fremont Elementary District 79 and Woodland Elementary District 50 may attend the much smaller Prairie Crossing without extra cost.

Deigan said the most recent waiting list had 182 children seeking 40 vacancies at Prairie Crossing. The school even has attracted out-of-area children whose parents must pay tuition.

"If you think about that (waiting list) for a restaurant or anything else, there is a demand there," Deigan said Friday.

In a memo, state officials noted how 96 percent of Prairie Crossing students meet or exceed Illinois learning standards with small classrooms and a nurturing atmosphere.

However, some state board of education concerns led to conditions being attached to the school's five-year renewal. Those conditions include:

• Post an annual budget and financial report on the charter school Web site.

• Demonstrate how appropriate services will be provided to students limited in English proficiency.

• Show how transportation is provided and how assistance will be given, if required, to low-income and at-risk pupils.

Documents show the state was particularly "troubled" by the fact 18.2 percent of Woodland students are low-income, yet only 2.2 percent from the Gurnee-based district who attend Prairie Crossing are in that financial demographic.

Prairie Crossing Director Myron Dagley said the charter school has always had to meet certain performance objectives as set by the state. Deigan said it's good to keep tabs on performance instead of having the state raise concerns every five years at charter renewal time.

"I think it provides a good vehicle to improve ourselves rather than wait," Deigan said.

Prairie Crossing projected it would receive nearly $3.1 million in state money for the Woodland and Fremont children during the 2008-09 academic year.