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Chugach Optional’s Charter Workgroup, formed through parent, community, and staff volunteers, worked through May and June to develop the charter school application for submission to the Anchorage School Board (ASD) and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), driven by a clear and pressing purpose: to preserve a program that has served Anchorage families for more than 50 years. With education funding in Alaska remaining uncertain year after year, our community believes that charter status offers a more stable and sustainable path forward—one that safeguards the child‑centered, community‑driven learning environment that has drawn generations of families to Chugach.
Chugach's charter application was submitted to ASD's Office of the Superintendent on Tuesday, June 30. We will continue to provide updates on the status of the application via email and on this page.
Submitted Letter of Intent and Charter Application
Submitted Letter of Intent and Charter Application
Chugach's Letter of Intent (submitted June 19, 2026) and Charter Application (submitted June 30, 2026) can be reviewed here:
Submitted Letter of Intent and Charter Application
Founding Academic Policy Committee
Founding Academic Policy Committee
In Alaska, an Academic Policy Committee (APC) serves as the governing body designated by state law to supervise a public charter school. Functioning much like a local school board, the APC is comprised of parents, teachers, and community members, and it oversees the school's mission, budget, curriculum, and staffing decisions (e.g., funding that directly impacts staff). The charter school application process required that we establish an APC prior to submitting the application. Through research and discussion, the Charter Workgroup determined that the appropriate number of APC members for Chugach is 9, with 7 seats filled by parents/community members and 2 seats filled by teachers/staff. We then formed a founding APC that will serve until our community can hold its first election, pending application approval, in February 2027. The election process is outlined in the APC bylaws, developed concurrently with the application and included in the application linked above.
Chugach's founding APC members are:
Bonnie Easley-Appleyard — Chair
Leslie Boyd — Vice-Chair
Jessica McCartan — Secretary
Kayse Hinrichsen — Treasurer
Kelly Tschida
Tiffany Selhay
Susan Joling
Amy Brabec
Else Madsen Goltz
How We Got Here
How We Got Here
In January, our community decided to explore the option of Chugach becoming an ASD charter school. In order to complete a feasibility assessment and present information necessary for the community, the CEC formed a Charter Exploration Committee. This committee was tasked with investigating key questions focused on financial, legal, academic and operational viability.
The CEC hosted a special Community Assembly Meeting (CAM) on April 29 to hear from this committee on findings. At the end of the meeting, the CEC presented options for next steps. There was a motion to move forward with an immediate full, community-wide vote now to proceed with a charter application to submit to the ASD School Board by July 2026. The motion passed.
The CEC conducted a vote via email survey and requested that every adult in our community (teachers, staff, and parents/guardians) participate. We received 138 responses to the survey from our 390 community contacts, and 90.6% (125 votes) of respondents voted in favor of moving forward with the charter application to be submitted by July 2026.
Communication
Communication
Please send all charter-related questions and input to chugachoptionalcharter@gmail.com.
You can also find contact information for all Charter Workgroup members here:
Charter Workgroup Points of Contact
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes from weekly Charter Workgroup meetings can be found here:
Charter Workgroup Meeting Minutes
Additional Charter Resources
Additional Charter Resources
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