FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks school serving home-schooled students may have to find a new home after the city council rejected its bid to operate in a residential neighborhood.
The council last week rejected FOCUS Homeschool's permit application for a facility on a quiet, dead-end street north of downtown, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
The school is part of Anchorage-based Chugach School District, which has traditional brick-and-mortar schools in Whittier, Tatitlek and Chenega Bay. FOCUS Homeschool is a statewide program that has operated in Fairbanks for 15 years, mostly from the home of head teacher Annie Dougherty, and now serves 130 children.
The district bought the new building, a former bed-and-breakfast, in January 2015. The school wanted to use the building for classes for about 10 students, tutoring sessions, parent meetings and occasional boarding of students and staff.
The building has multiple bathrooms, a kitchen for culinary classes and a garage meant for science lessons.
Dougherty said a real estate agent told her that the school would be allowed. She started to hold classes but suspended operations when she found out otherwise and began applying for a conditional-use permit.
Neighbors said noise and traffic problems accompanied the school's arrival. The planning commission in November rejected the permit, then took a 30-minute break and voted to approve it.
The school agreed to build a 15-space parking lot with a turnaround that could fit a fire engine, Dougherty said. It also agreed to a maximum of 30 students or 50 people on the premises at any time.
City council members overturned the commission's approval on a 4-1 vote. The council will vote again May 9 and detail its findings. If the rejection stands, the school district can appeal in Superior Court.