The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District heard a charter application from the 2 Rivers Homestead APC on Nov. 3, when parents, educators and community members proposed opening 2 Rivers Homestead Charter School as a K'8 school with preschool and an in-building Best homeschool hub.

APC leaders told the board the school would center hands-on, place-based instruction tied to homesteading values — agriculture, environmental stewardship and practical life skills — and would intentionally keep in-person enrollment small to support a multigrade, project-based model. "I am Jasmine Wicks. I am the president of our APC," said Jasmine Wicks, the APC president, in the presentation, introducing the applicant team.

The presenters described a campus plan that pairs core academic instruction with homestead integration, afternoon skill-based classes, an expanded after-school clubs program and community-run vocational offerings. Christine White, who led curriculum discussion via Zoom, said the APC expects to keep in-person enrollment around 100 students, and to expand only modestly "to a 125 through a 150 students" if the district requests it; the APC also described recruiting correspondent (homeschool) students who would use the school's hands-on offerings. John White, who presented budget details, said the APC had recorded 72 intent-to-enroll forms and explained the group's cost-neutrality calculations: the APC described a high-end budget of $1,650,000 tied to a 125-student scenario and said a $22,000-per-student BSA (basic student allocation) puts a 75-student threshold in one modeling scenario; the APC also noted a more conservative budget aligned to a 100-student target with a lower cost-neutral threshold.

Why it matters: presenters argued the model serves a specific local need. APC members described the area as a homestead community with active military families who seek stability and a curriculum that aligns with seasonal subsistence activities; the APC also listed partners that would provide curriculum and in-kind support, including Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation and a program called 1 Tree with UAF. Presenters told the board they would pursue grant funding and agrotourism to supplement state funding, but said baseline operations were budgeted without grant dependency.

Board concerns and APC responses

Board members focused on four areas: enrollment and fiscal viability, the APC'proposed tiered lottery, building capacity and facility costs, and staffing/operations.

- Enrollment and fiscal thresholds: Board member Maple asked whether the APC had a plan if enrollment did not reach the stated minimum. "The minimum enrollment to make the numbers work... is 75, which is more than were enrolled at 2 Rivers previously," Maple said. APC presenters answered that they had 72 letters of intent and were actively recruiting; John White told the board the APC had modeled multiple scenarios and was confident the school could reach a sustainable enrollment in year one under conservative assumptions.

- Tiered lottery and admissions priority: The APC proposed a brief, multi-day enrollment window that would prioritize founders and staff on day one, families who completed intent forms next, former 2 Rivers boundary families on a later day and finally the district lottery for remaining seats. Several board members raised ethical and legal questions about that approach. Christine White said the APC was willing to modify the plan if the district or state law required it and suggested limiting any preference to letters of intent in line with other local charters.

- Facility, capacity and lease costs: The APC requested board permission to pursue a progressive shared-lease model for the former 2 Rivers building so the charter and Best homeschool hub could share space. APC members said the building offers ready features (shop room, garden beds, hydroponics) and presented a $100,000 annual lease estimate derived from comparable local leases; board members asked administration to verify deed capacity and actual operating costs. A board member noted the documented deed capacity of 98 students and asked administration for clarification about historical enrollments and fire-marshal limits.

- Staffing, curriculum and waivers: The APC proposed a staffing plan that includes 4 to 6 teachers, classroom aides and a multi-leader teacher model; presenters said some prospective staff had expressed interest and that they would request limited waivers of district timelines to recruit candidates who live outside the region. On curriculum, APC leads said they planned to align to Alaska content standards and district expectations while purchasing or selecting materials that support the homestead theme; options mentioned included Singapore Math (Dimensions) and EL Education/Bookworms for language arts. Presenters said they would seek APC and administrator input on final selections.

Special education, meals and transportation

Board members asked how the charter would serve students with special needs and how low-income families would access meals. APC presenters said the charter would participate in district-administered Title I distributions and work with the district's special-education supervisors; presenters described plans for in-house support staff and coordination with district specialists but acknowledged some services would rely on district oversight and collaboration.

On meals and food access, APC presenters said nutrition services could provide cold-lunch products and that the APC planned to use hydroponics and farm-to-table activities to supplement school meals over time. On transportation, the APC said the charter budget did not initially fund dedicated bus service but that routes with existing buses (for example, Weller) might provide options if schedules were coordinated.

Next steps and status

No board decision was made at the Nov. 3 work session. President Burgess thanked the APC and said the board would receive an administrative review of the charter application on Nov. 10; several board members asked for written follow-ups on capacity, the lease estimate, enrollment details (including the origin of intent forms) and legal guidance on lottery preferences.

Ending note: APC members asked the board to consider the proposal as a community-driven, mission-focused option that they said could bring families back to the area and expand vocational and place-based learning options; board members indicated they wanted more detailed documentation from administration before taking an approval vote.