Lynn Lundquist is a member of the Powell Butte Charter School Developers, a group of eight community members hoping to convert the elementary school into a charter school, which will allow it to receive grants and give the school financial autonomy from the district.

They raised the $274,152 necessary last month to keep fourth- and fifth-grades open with little time to spare.

But now, Powell Butte residents have to figure out a long-term way to keep their community school operating.

The school has been described as an anchor of the town, located west of Prineville. It’s a place where parents congregate and where students consistently score well on statewide assessment tests. It was thrown into the spotlight when the Crook County School District converted it from a K-6 school to K-3 to help make up an approximately $5 million budget deficit.

Community members rallied, raising enough money to keep the upper grades. With the first week of school under way, community members want to find a way to gain more financial autonomy from the district to avoid ever being in a similar predicament. They worry if budget woes continue, next year the entire school could be on the chopping block.

Eight community members, called the Powell Butte Charter School Developers, recently formed to begin the necessary work. They hope to see Powell Butte begin operating as a charter school by next year.

“We’re meeting twice a week from here on,” said the chairman of the group, Robert Buckner. “This will take a tremendous amount of time.”

The group is working on a proposal to present to the Crook County School Board. It’s up to the school board to approve the proposal.

Powell Butte community members are optimistic the board will understand why converting the school is a good move. However, if denied, the Powell Butte group can appeal the decision to the Oregon Department of Education.

A charter school would still be part of the district but would have more autonomy. The school would still be considered a public school, but a group of parents, teachers and community members would be charged with running it.

The school would have to meet state and federal standards, but community members said it would develop a way to differentiate itself from other district schools. Although the group is still in the preliminary stages, some ideas under consideration include having the school focus on natural resources, technology or offering more vocational-type curriculum.

“A lot of people talk about excellence, we’re striving for excellence, but what does that mean?” said Lynn Lundquist, a member of the charter school group.

“We’re talking about excellence and how we’ll be set apart (from the district),” Lundquist said.

The group is talking to other charter schools in Oregon to get ideas on how to proceed. It hopes to present the school board with its proposal by November. The proposal will include what is known as an “incentive grant,” or the seed money the school will need to convert to a charter school and sustain itself long term.

Powell Butte members have pointed out that there will be more flexibility with funding as a charter school, because they can apply for a wide range of grants. Currently, they have a group of grant writers looking and applying for a variety of funds.

“We’ll come in with a good strategy that is going to be win-win for Powell Butte and the district,” Buckner said.

The plan right now is to propose that the charter school rent the building and be responsible for all maintenance and upkeep. The district would still receive 20 percent of the district’s average daily membership, or the funds the state gives the district based on enrollment.

Crook County School Board member Scott Cooper said the board has not yet discussed the possibility of a charter school at Powell Butte. He said the group needs to hurry because the district hopes to start discussing next school year’s budget in January.

“Powell Butte has always been fairly innovative in its approach to everything as a community,” Cooper said. “I’m not surprised to see them go this route and in keeping the community tradition. I hope nobody will make up their mind one way or another … until we’ve actually seen the proposal.”

If you go

What: A community meeting to discuss Powell Butte Elementary School converting to a charter school.

When: 7 p.m. Sept. 16

Where: Powell Butte Community Center