VISTA -- Eagles Peak Charter School officials are asking a small East County school district to sponsor the charter program starting this fall.

Officials with the Vista-based charter school haven't officially submitted a charter proposal yet, but expect to do so next month, said Art Townley, interim executive director.

The school and the Mountain Empire Unified School District in Pine Valley have been talking for nearly a year about the possibility of partnering.

Programs at the school probably wouldn't change under a new charter, but Townley said school officials plan to change the name to Mountain Peak Charter School. The school would maintain its employees, governing board, headquarters in Vista, and learning centers throughout the region, he said.

"It looks like everything will just be the same," he said.

Eagles Peak serves roughly 1,000 students in San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties, catering to parents who teach their children at home at least part of the week.

The future of the charter school has been uncertain since May, when its sponsoring district threatened to revoke its charter. Though the trustees of that district -- Julian Union High School District -- decided against revocation, they told Eagles Peak officials that they would not renew the charter when it expires in June.

The trustees said they wanted to sever ties with Eagles Peak because of a long list of concerns, mostly centered on finances and complaints about a hostile work environment.

Eagles Peak officials asked the Julian board on Thursday to reconsider its decision not to renew the charter, but the trustees reaffirmed their decision to end their relationship with the charter school.

The last several years have been rough for Eagles Peak, which has struggled with debt, lawsuits, declining enrollment, personnel issues, budget cuts, and a split of its operations that led to the creation of a separate charter school based in Riverside County.

Last month, Eagles Peak struck a deal with another charter school, La Jolla-based National University Academy, to transfer 700 students in the Eagles Peak Career Path high school program to the academy.

As a charter school, Eagles Peak is publicly funded but operates independently from its sponsoring district. Though charter schools are relatively independent, sponsoring districts are responsible for monitoring them to make sure they're financially and academically successful.

The Mountain Empire district covers a large area that straddles the United States-Mexico border east of Chula Vista, serving 1,600 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Over the past couple of years, the district has approved two charters, one for a small school that will teach struggling students and another for an online program.

If the district decides to sponsor Eagles Peak, it would be the last charter school they would approve, Trustee Trina Ambrose said Friday.

"We've really been careful about how we've approached charters," she said.

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