VISTA: Eagles Peak prepares for new school year

Charter school officials hope to boost enrollment and pay off debt soon

By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 26, 2008 10:47 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- After months of uncertainty and setbacks, Eagles Peak Charter School officials say they're ready for the school year to start next week and are finalizing plans to cover some of the school's debt with another loan.

Since a proposal to revoke the school's charter was taken off the table two weeks ago, students have begun enrolling in higher numbers, said Art Townley, the school's interim executive director.

"Our students are coming back," he said. "We're pretty much on track."

The eight-year-old charter school has learning centers in San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties. The programs cater to parents who mostly home-school their children.

Though the school has only signed up about 1,500 students so far, Townley said he expects enrollment to be as high as 1,700 by the end of the week and as high as last year's 1,900 students by the end of the year.

Teachers and other employees returned to work this week in anticipation of the first day of classes next Tuesday.

Townley said everything is looking up and employees are upbeat, after months of struggling to trim money from the school's $12 million budget and not knowing whether the school would have a charter as the school year neared.

The Julian Union High School District board of directors split two weeks ago on a recommendation to revoke the school's charter, essentially killing the idea. Still, they made it clear they would not renew the charter at the end of the upcoming school year, which will require the school to find a new sponsoring district.

District staff members recommended revocation, in part because of concerns about the school's finances.

The most urgent financial issue is a $2.7 million loan due to Wells Fargo by Sept. 1.

So far, school officials have set aside $1.5 million to repay the debt. They're hoping to get another loan to pay off the rest and avoid budget cuts.

School officials said they had nearly secured a loan from Charter School Capital, a Los Angeles-based company started to provide loans to charter schools. However, the school needed a "letter of good standing" from the Julian district, which district officials refused to provide.

Now, Townley said he's counting on a short-term $1.5 million loan from Wells Fargo, which he said he expects to be final any day. School officials expect to be able to pay off that loan by Dec. 1, which would bring the school out of debt.

If the loan doesn't come through by Sept. 1, the school will be in default and won't be able to pay back the entire loan until more money will come in from the state, which is expected in a month or so, Townley said.

As Eagles Peak's teachers prepare for students, school officials are searching for a new leader. Townley has said he will step down next month.

The retired educator returned to the school in May after the board of directors fired its last executive director, Rich Alderson. This is his second stint as temporary head of the school. He also served as interim executive director in 2006, after the board fired the school's original leader, Kathleen Hermsmeyer.

Now, the board must decide how to narrow down a pool of 31 candidates for the job.

Townley said he thinks having a new leader who will develop a long-range plan for the school will help to invigorate employees and students.

He said he remains optimistic, comparing Eagles Peak's future with Johnny Nash's 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now."

"It's going to be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day," Townley said. "That's how I feel about Eagles Peak."

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.