Tag: charter school

By Sara Beth Williams–
Plans to construct a new charter school on a vacant lot off Antelope Road in Citrus Heights have shifted.

American River Collegiate Academy had made plans to construct a new campus on the 3-acre lot, but according to a weekly newsletter published on the academy’s website on Dec. 22, 2022, the academy is no longer seeking to purchase the land at the corner of Antelope Road and Old Auburn Road.

From 2021: Plans for new charter school campus approved by Citrus Heights Planning Commission

In September 2021, the City of Citrus Heights Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project for the new school site at 7951 Antelope Rd. for American River Collegiate Academy. The plans included building a two-story building with 22 classrooms and administrative spaces, and a multi-purpose room.

According to statements from American River Collegiate Academy parent Lisa Kalavaras, the academy’s board announced during a December parents’ meeting that the site on Antelope Road with access on Wonder Street was “off the table.”

The initial goal was to open the new campus in the fall of 2022, in time for the 2022-23 school year. When Sentinel staff spoke with Superintendent of the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools Robin Stout in August 2022, no construction had begun and fencing remained around the lot. Stout cited multiple obstacles that accounted for a delay in construction, including the increased cost of construction materials, and a significant drop in enrollment during the pandemic.

Stout said the Rocklin Academy board had planned to meet in December 2022 with Foundation Christian Church, formerly Antelope Road Christian Fellowship, who owns the property, to revisit plans for purchasing the land and construction.

Kalavaras said during the December parents meeting, the board informed parents that the academy did not have enough enrollment to support a new build at this time.

The newsletter outlined the expected enrollment estimates for years one (2020-21), two (2021-22) and three, (2022-23), comparing them with actual total enrollment. The initial projection for enrollment for year three was 300 students, and according to the newsletter, only 80 students are enrolled in this 2022-23 school year.

“The location they are looking at now is an existing building that would need renovations,” Kalavaras said, adding that the board plans to update parents in January or February.

According to a slide show presentation available on Rocklin Academy’s website, the school is “committed to our students and to the City of Citrus Heights,” with multiple scenarios being looked at for a “long-term facility, in Citrus Heights.”

The American River Collegiate Academy is currently using temporary classroom facilities at 7755 Hazel Ave., in Orangevale. The charter school serves grades TK through 3rd grade and plans to add one higher grade per year.

Multiple calls to Foundation Christian Church, Stout, and the American River Collegiate Academy campus in Orangevale were not returned before press time.

The publicly funded charter school is part of the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools, which includes Rocklin Academy, Rocklin Academy Gateway, Rocklin Academy Preschool, and Western Sierra Collegiate Academy.

Sentinel staff report–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday will consider officially approving a letter of support for a charter school that is seeking to open in the city.

The charter school, American River Collegiate Academy, was proposed by the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools last year, but the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board voted unanimously to deny its application to operate as a charter two months ago. The decision was appealed to the Sacramento County Board of Education, which will hear the matter next month.

The proposed 100-word letter of support is included in the City Council’s agenda packet for their upcoming Jan. 23 meeting. The letter reads:

Dear Sacramento County Board of Education Trustees,

The American River Collegiate Academy, part of the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools, is planning to bring a campus to, or near, the City of Citrus Heights. The Rocklin Academy Family of Schools has a strong track record of academic success.

The Citrus Heights City Council are strong supporters of public education and believe in high quality public school choice in the City of Citrus Heights that will benefit students, families, and the community as a whole. On behalf of the City of Citrus Heights, the City Council supports the Academy in bringing this academic option to our community.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard by the board of education on Feb. 4, according to Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins, who made the request that her fellow council members consider writing the letter of support.

Bruins previously told The Sentinel she was disappointed in the school board’s decision to deny the charter application, saying the city needs more educational options. She expects “a more favorable outcome” at the county level.

As previously reported on The Sentinel, Bruins’ support for charter schools has also been expressed by other council members, like Steve Miller, who said while running for re-election in 2018 that he was “very disappointed” with the San Juan Unified School District and said schools in Citrus Heights are “falling apart.”

San Juan Unified has approved at least three charter schools in the past, but board members in November sided with a staff report that recommended denying Rocklin Academy’s request. The report cited financial reasons and other “unknowns,” like a specific location not having been finalized for the school at the time.

Board members also expressed concerns about an “overly optimistic” attendance growth rate and the application appearing “rushed.”

Related: SJUSD shoots down proposed charter school in Citrus Heights; appeal planned

The proposed academy, referred to as the American River Collegiate Academy, or ARCA, would begin with only Kindergarten through 2nd grade. More grade levels and classes would then be added until a “full slate of K-12 classes” are offered, the academy said in a news release last year.

Plans for the new charter school were publicly announced in September by the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools, which was founded in 2000 and currently operates four campuses.

As of Jan. 18, a spokeswoman told The Sentinel a specific location in Citrus Heights has not been finalized. The academy has previously said that a “backup” location has been identified in Orangevale, just outside Citrus Heights, but still within San Juan district boundaries.

LETTER: Charter schools are not the answer

Schools in the Rocklin Academy family are “designed with a college prep focus so that graduating students are enrolled in coursework required for entrance to the University of California, California State University of select private universities,” according to the academy’s news release.

The schools are tuition-free and open to all students, “though priority will be given to Citrus Heights residents when the new school opens,” the news release said.

An agenda for the upcoming Feb. 4 meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Education had not been posted as of Jan. 18, but the board website says meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at 10474 Mather Blvd., in Mather.