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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Hundreds of people have signed a petition asking the state to rescind the charter of Mountainville Academy, a new Utah County charter school set to open this fall in Alpine.
The petition also alleges that state Reps. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem and Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, have an "ethical conflicts of interest" associated with the school and with Alpine city officials.
Both lawmakers are involved with, U.S. Charter Development, the company contracted to build the school, which is owned by former state legislator Glenn Way.
Ferrin lists U.S. Charter Development as one of the businesses with which he's associated on his Declaration of Conflict of Interest for the Utah House of Representatives. Morley doesn't, but includes "charter school development, including construction and lease back of facilities."
Morley denies the accusations and says those opposed to charter schools have tried for years to prove a conflict. A legislative ethics committee investigation into the matter, however, found no wrongdoing, Morley said.
Petitioners also say that House Bill 172, sponsored by Ferrin and passed during the 2006 General Session unfairly mandates that city councils cannot turn away any public school.
Petition organizers will meet with the Utah Charter Schools Office board on May 20 to present the collected signatures, education specialist Marlies Burns said. The board has never revoked a school's charter, she said.
Charter schools are public schools that contract with the state board of education to operate without governance by the local school district. The schools receive per-pupil state funding, but do not receive property tax money.
Alpine residents opposed to the school organized an anti-Mountainville effort some months ago after learning the school was looking at property along 100 South in the city. Some residents attended city meetings to voice their opposition and later drafted the petition, organizer Dave Barlow said.
Noting the opposition, city officials asked Mountainville to consider a different building site, but now that site, on Healey Boulevard, is also faces opposition.
"We are really trying to work with the city and they asked for multiple sites," said Gaylee Coverston, a Mountainville board member. "We want this to be a united effort with the city, but at the same time we would love to have respect from the residents."
Mountainville has yet to file an application for construction with the city.
------ Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
