As local tax payers deeply concerned about our community, we raise the issue about the growing unease regarding the hurried application for the American Preparatory Charter school. Matters have not been helped by the lack of adequate traffic, sewer, water, and environmental studies which will reveal and mitigate the affect on our daily lives and future plans. The proposed school location on an approximately 20-acre piece of water-front, valuable public land, not originally designated for academic purposes, raises even deeper concerns. 

Moreover, we are deeply worried about the redirection of our public tax dollars from Wyoming to a Utah-based for-profit charter school. It's an unfair allocation that raises both eyebrows and worries about fiscal responsibility. Our teachers deserve better than the existing conditions of low pay and high turnover rates—issues that American Preparatory Charter school is widely associated with.

Further complicating matters is the absence of Wyoming Hathaway Scholarship eligibility, sidelining promising students' aspirations. The use of a lottery system for admission, and an alarming state education audit of SPED funds, show an unsettling trend of inequitable practices. Allegations of racism within the school system certainly do not help either. Is this truly what we want for our community? 

Lastly and critically, the involvement of a Lincoln County School District school board member with American Preparatory Charter school is a conflict of interest that cannot be ignored, as is the questionable involvement of local real estate developers in the APA charter application, who are in the process of applying for an annexation with the Town of Alpine that will result in millions in credits given back to these developers. With all of these issues, it's clear that a thorough review of this application is necessary to ensure that we are indeed choosing a school that is right for ALL Alpine families that is a fiscally and ethically responsible use of Alpine's resources.

What is behind this questionable rush to approve APA? This is an artificial deadline, as we have the opportunity to reapply for a school in 2026. We implore the Wyoming State Charter Authorizing Board and The Town of Alpine to put a pause on this rushed, misinformed application. A well-informed decision is not the same as a hurried one - this is our community, our tax dollars, our children's future at stake. Sign our petition to ensure a fair and just decision-making process.