John Hancock Charter School secretary Mrs. Elmer does more than answer telephones. She also files finance reports, puts Band-aids on scraped knees and unclogs leaky toilets.

Elmer illustrates the small-school charm and complex financial dilemma charter schools face.

"You wear many hats when you are in a charter school," said Julie Adamic, director and co-founder of the John Hancock Charter School in Pleasant Grove.

Adamic also fills multiple roles to save money in the new school. Last week, she substituted a sixth grade class in addition to her normal administrative responsibilities.

"You fill in where needed," she said. "You just have to be flexible."

John Hancock is one of two charter schools that opened in Utah County this fall.

The school, which operates from the old American Heritage School this year, will move next year.

The school board wants to build a facility in Highland, but cannot proceed for at least a month.

After a debate at the Highland City Council meeting Tuesday, the council voted to revisit John Hancock's request for a conditional use permit at the Nov. 17 meeting.

Utah County's other charter school, Timpanogos Academy, plans to own its school building in Lindon in three years.

Adamic said many people do not understand charter schools, which approach education differently than regular public schools.

Students at the Utah County charter schools wear uniforms each day. At John Hancock, students stand to greet visitors in class.

Both charter schools teach "core knowledge," which includes a grade-by-grade learning program.

"Basically we make sure that every child is taught the curriculum, no matter what their status is - whether they are a gifted child or a disabled child," said Timpanogos Academy principal Errol Porter.

Both schools operate at the full capacity of students allowed by their charters - 350 kindergarten through sixth-grade students at Timpanogos Academy and 160 kindergarten through seventh-grade students at John Hancock. Both schools have lengthy waiting lists of would-be students.

While charter schools across the state educate students in a variety of ways, ranging from a focus on the environment to a focus on the arts, the charter schools in Utah County bear striking similarities.

"I would like to see some that would try different ways of education and that's not what we're seeing right now," said Tina Howard, administrator of instruction for the Alpine School District.

Patricia Bradley, planning and education programs coordinator for the Utah State Office of Education, hopes that innovative ideas in charter schools can be expanded to school districts.

"The idea, the hope is that some of these charters will be experimental in a way that will suggest to districts changes that they might be making in the regular education system," Bradley said.

Proponents of charter schools point to their smaller class sizes and individualized attention.

"It is a true community school," Adamic said. "As a result, every child knows that they are a part of something ... they're not just a number. They know that they're important as an individual."

The schools have friendly working relationships with the Alpine School District, though the state, not district, chartered both schools.

"We are fortunate. Not all districts and charter schools have a good working relationship," Adamic said.

The Alpine School District has more demanding requirements than the state concerning school location and timing, Howard said.

"There are some things that we have to be careful about," Howard said. "Charter schools are still public schools, and because of that they must serve every child."

"If a child doesn't make it there and has problems, where do they go back to? They go back to the public school," Howard said.

Both Utah County charter schools rely heavily on parent involvement and recommend that parents volunteer in the school for a few hours each month. As public schools, however, they cannot legally require volunteer work.

"We really feel that parental involvement on any scale or any scope will greatly improve a child's educational experience," Adamic said.

Lindsay Matson, who has two children at John Hancock, teaches a French class at the school each day. Her husband helped clean the school building before it opened in August.

"I wanted to give (my) child the best opportunities, and wanted to be very involved, and I really didn't feel like I could do that in a regular public school," Matson said.

Matson has been impressed by the attention to detail and to each child at the school.

"I haven't met a mediocre teacher yet," she said.

Charter school advocates spend countless hours improving their schools.

"It dictates our entire life. It becomes who you are," Adamic said. "It is an awesome task, but it is definitely worth all the blood, sweat and tears. And you know that when you see children that were struggling, (now) thriving and happy and doing well."

The new schools face different obstacles than regular public schools.

John Hancock Charter School cannot provide buses for students and does not have a school library. Instead, students walk to the Pleasant Grove Library to checkout books.

The parent teacher organization hires a caterer to prepare school lunches for students, Adamic said.

And the school will likely lose some students in a move, though other students would quickly take their place, Adamic said.

Matson's children, however, will continue attending the school.

"My children will stay there until the end, even if we have to drive an hour," Matson said. "We're committed to continuing their education there."



Copyright Brigham Young University 28 Oct 2002