Kalispell Schools Debut New Charter Programs
Rising Wolf Charter and Flathead PACE Academy are two of 17 public charter schools that opened in Montana this fall
By Denali Sagner
In between class bells and student announcements, the Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) on Thursday unveiled the two in-district charter schools that opened at Flathead and Glacier high schools at the beginning of the school year.
“We’re really proud of the work that we’ve done,” Peter Fusaro, KPS assistant superintendent, said, addressing a handful of reporters, students and staff at Glacier High School.
Fusaro called on teachers, administrators, students and community leaders to share how the two charter programs — Rising Wolf Charter at Glacier High School and Flathead PACE Academy at Flathead High School — have brought increased flexibility to a historically regimented learning schedule, and further developed the district’s relationship with local industry.
Both programs are a product of House Bill 549, a law passed by the state Legislature last year that allows public school districts to create in-district charter programs and provides them with additional state funding to do so. The charter schools are governed by the existing local school board, as well as an advisory council made up of parents and community members.
Through Rising Wolf Charter, Glacier High School students can enroll in a handful of flexibly paced courses. These include two-period ceramics and painting classes, work-based learning internships, outdoor education and individually paced math classes.
Glacier High School Principal Brad Holloway said the charter program has allowed the school to “rethink what a day can look like for students, but also for staff.”
In an outdoor education course taken through Rising Wolf Charter, Glacier High School student Keaton Fuller said he learned “a lot more useful skills than I have any other school year.”
At Flathead PACE Academy, students can take core classes in a format where, for example, a student may take government on Monday and Friday and English on Tuesday and Thursday, with a flexible work period on Wednesdays.
“What if we could condense those requirements so that students have more time to work on those other pursuits?” Flathead High School Principal Michelle Paine said, standing in the wing of the high school that has become the PACE Academy’s home.
By condensing classroom time and making room for more flexible, self-paced work, administrators said students can earn credits faster and have more time for sports, internships and electives.
In a PACE course, students typically sit for a traditional class once a week, and then spend the rest of the week working independently and meeting with advisors, before being assessed on a topic at the end of the week.
“We’ve designed this so that they are in charge of their learning,” math teacher Stephanie McLean said. “It has totally flipped my classroom.”
Sophomore Charlee Guthrie said, “I really appreciate the fact that I can go faster than in some of my other classes.”
When asked if students will be able to master the same amount of material in the condensed schedule, administrators doubled down on the efficacy of the program, saying it has worked for students thus far.
Rising Wolf Charter and PACE Academy are two of 17 public charter schools opened throughout Montana this fall. Public education advocates during the 2023 legislative session backed the public charter proposal, which they described as a way to increase choice for parents and students while keeping charter programs within the public eye.
A competing charter school bill, House Bill 562, which created “community choice schools” that would have been exempt from Montana’s constitutionally protected education standards, has been partially blocked in court.
Kalispell’s two public charter schools are set to bring nearly $500,000 into the district, should they each enroll at least 41 full-time students. Administrators and school board members have described the extra state funding as critical support for KPS, which is facing a budget deficit between $2.2 million and $3.1 million for the current school year.
Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, a freshman state legislator who made education a cornerstone of her tenure in Helena, said the public charter schools have been a way to bolster school budgets and “reward our educators and our schools that are going above and beyond.”
Public education advocates are pushing for an overhaul of the state’s school funding formula as districts across Montana have been forced to shutter buildings and lay off staff amid rising budget deficits.