Calling the application incomplete, the Bend-La Pine School Board unanimously voted Tuesday to not approve plans to open a Montessori charter school.

Organizers behind the Desert Sky Montessori school had a proposed opening in September 2016 with first through eighth grades. They have also submitted a proposal to the Redmond School District to open a smaller K-8 school there; that application is still under review.

In Oregon, charter schools are privately run, publicly funded schools sponsored by a local district or the state.

At a public hearing before the Bend-La Pine board last month, Desert Sky organizers said they hoped to enroll 400 students at their Bend school and had received nearly 700 intent-to-enroll forms from prospective students.

Under the Montessori model, students often stay with the same teacher for multiple years in mixed-grade classrooms and are encouraged to work at their own pace.

By law, districts must evaluate proposed charter schools on various criteria in various areas, from public support and instructional programs to financial stability and special education services. In all of these areas, Bend-La Pine administrators reviewing Desert Sky’s application found it incomplete or inadequate.

Board members expressed concern about the plan to enroll 400 students all at once, rather than growing enrollment over a few years.

Four hundred students represents nearly 2 percent of the district’s total enrollment, and board members noted state money allocated per student at the school could mean teacher cuts elsewhere.

Although board member Andy High voted with the majority, he suggested Desert Sky faced a different review process than organizers behind Bend International School, a K-8 charter school approved earlier this year under a previous superintendent.

“It doesn’t feel fair to me. … I feel like we put a lot of resources to Bend International School to make that successful,” said High, noting he has a kindergartner at a private Montessori school.

Board members encouraged Desert Sky organizers to refine their application and resubmit, and organizers said they would.

“That was a good first draft, but I can’t in good conscious approve something that our staff is telling us is not ready yet,” board member Peggy Kinkade said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved contracts with two architectural firms for a series of construction projects scheduled for summer 2016. The board approved a $582,980 contract with BBT Architects for work at Amity Creek Magnet and the Education Center. It also approved a $508,633 contract with Steele Associates for work at Juniper Elementary School and La Pine and Pilot Butte middle schools.

— Reporter: 541-617-7837,

aspegman@bendbulletin.com