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Charter schools make progress Loans could aid Eagle Point, Lake Creek By Vicki Guarino EAGLE POINT -- Organizers of two innovative new schools are seeing their projects make substantial financial headway. Promises of Eagle Point School District support coupled with state and federal contributions could pay building costs for charter schools in Eagle Point and Lake Creek. "It looks good," says Shannon Sanders, the principal of the Renaissance charter school in Eagle Point, "but a lot still needs to happen." For the Renaissance School, an arts-based program for 50 students in grades 5-8, the funding would allow for an estimated $100,000 to renovate a warehouse for classes. The school opened last fall in rented church space and needs a permanent site. In Lake Creek, educators and the community have been working for three years on establishing a local school. The possibility of a no-interest loan through a federal program, combined with commitments of state and district funding, make the goal of building the school seem attainable, says one organizer. "We're really excited," says Georgina Kennedy, an Eagle Point grade school teacher who lives in Lake Creek and has led the community effort to establish a local school. "It's much closer to being a reality." The Lake Creek Learning Center would be a local elementary school for about 50 children and a center for the rural community located about a half-hour's drive east of Eagle Point. The building is estimated to cost $750,000. Some of the anticipated funds for the project would come from a state allowance specifically for small and isolated schools. The special allowance would enable the school to repay a low- or no-interest federally backed loan. By combining the loan program and the funding program, the new school would be self-supporting, says district finance director Mark Sorensen. But none of the funding is a sure thing yet, school board chairwoman Cheryl Stout cautions. The state and a lender have to approve the Lake Creek loan, and more planning work may be needed for the Renaissance project. Also, the school board, which granted tentative funding approval this week, is reserving the authority to review building plans and other construction-related matters before releasing the money. "We are telling them `move forward,"' Stout says. "We are saying all of these things we consider to be important projects." In addition to the two new schools, the board endorsed a plan to nearly double the size of the Eagle Point High School gym, and launch a detailed planning process to identify future building needs throughout the district. The planning effort and the spending decisions have been spurred by anticipated receipt of $1.1 million in Oregon lottery funds. Voters approved a one-time grant to Oregon school districts, funded by a lottery-backed bond. Money is to be allocated based on enrollment. The bond sale is expected to come next month. Most of the Eagle Point district's projected share of the bond sale will be held in savings for future capital needs, board members have agreed after numerous community meetings. The $70,000 planning project will guide the district in identifying those needs, Stout says. The effort is expected to yield a long-range plan for all the district's schools, as well as vacant district land in White City and Shady Cove. The high school gym would be paid in part by a grant. The board agreed to contribute up to $300,000 to match the grant. The money would pay for a two-story building with a basketball court and wrestling room. The building is viewed as a badly needed expansion, says Stout. "If we had 10 more gymnasiums in our district that still wouldn't be enough with all the sports programs we have," Stout says. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA