North Star eyes Elementary program

MARQUETTE - When Vandenboom Elementary School closes as an elementary school next year, parents may have a new school in Marquette Township to consider.

At a joint meeting Saturday, the Marquette Township Board and the North Star Academy board discussed what was needed to establish a new elementary school in the township that would be run by North Star.

North Star board President Greg Toutant said one of the first steps will be to invite interested parents to an open house at North Star. He said one or more open houses would likely occur over the next few weeks.

In conjunction, township officials and school board members will solicit a volunteer committee to gauge the level of interest in the community for the proposed school.

"Because we already operate within the boundaries of Marquette Township I think this is a natural partnership," Toutant said.

Since North Star is a charter school, it will have to get approval from its chartering agent, Northern Michigan University, before it can expand to include an elementary school, Toutant said. North Star currently operates a middle school and high school.

Gary Ebrecht, vice president of the North Star board, said a common misconception is that it is an alternative school. He said North Star, like all other public schools in the area, is governed by the Michigan Department of Education and the Marquette Alger Regional Educational Service Agency.

"With a public school academy, the only difference is that you have a chartering agency," Ebrecht said.

North Star CEO Karen Anderson said its teachers are all certified by the state and the school follows the Michigan merit curriculum.

Anderson said the academy would likely need about 100 students to start an elementary school. The current facility on Wright Street could be expanded to include an elementary wing, Anderson said.

However, transportation is an issue that would have to be worked out, she said.

"Buying a fleet of buses, on our part, is not really feasible," she said.

While Marq-Tran buses were mentioned as an option, Anderson said "parents are hesitant about putting their young kids on Marq-Tran."

Township resident Ron DeMarse said the school may be able to contract with Alger Marquette Community Action Board to use its buses.

In June, the Marquette Area Public Schools board decided to close Vandenboom Elementary School in 2009 due to declining enrollment throughout the district and vacant classrooms at the district's four elementary schools. Township officials opposed the board's move, saying that the township would lose part of its identity without Vandenboom.

Girard said more than 100 people in the township, via survey, showed an interest in keeping a school in the township.

Township resident Melissa Andrews said she has three young children, two of which will soon enter the public school system. She supported efforts to create a North Star run elementary.

"I have talked to a couple parents and they all agreed they'd like to know more about North Star," she said.