Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Board Okays New Charter with KCSD

LOGANTON – It appears the decades-old, contentious charter differences between the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School and the Keystone Central School District are over.

The charter school board of trustees on Tuesday evening gave unanimous approval to a new 5-year charter with Keystone Central. The Keystone Central school board is expected to give its approval at its next voting session in May. Keystone board president Bo Miller, who was in attendance at the charter board’s virtual meeting, said he believed the Keystone board will give its approval.

Miller, a Sugar Valley native, echoed earlier positive comments from Sandra Garverick, executive director of the Sugar Valley trustees. She thanked all those involved in the renewal process and said she “loved the way we’re working together.” Miller said the prospective accord was “a long time coming” and said it creates “a great foundation for the future…maybe just the start of something special.”

The SVRCS board vote Tuesday followed months of dialogue between the two sides, this after Keystone held up periodic payments due the charter school during the course of the last year. At a meeting earlier this month, Keystone superintendent Jacquelyn Martin had said the district anticipates a saving of $342,000 in its next fiscal year because of a smaller payment to the charter school.

The district had opposed formation of the charter operation from the start. Opponents of school consolidation had established the school on the east side of Loganton after the Sugar Valley High School had been closed in the 1990s as part of the consolidation of schools in the southern half of the district. For each five year charter cycle, Keystone had opposed the charter renewal, but each time was unsuccessful.