AUGUSTA — If approved, Acadia Academy, a publicly-funded charter school backed by John F. Murphy Homes, would open this fall in a Lisbon Street building in Lewiston.

The building would be provided rent free by local developer David Gendron, the Maine State Charter Commission was told Monday.

During the first five years Gendron would not charge rent to Acadia Academy. After that, he’d donate the building, said Chris Brann, president of Acadia Academy’s Board of Trustees.

Charter Commissioner Jana Lapoint asked who David Gendron is and how did support from him come about?

“He’s my father,” board member Tracy Gendron said.

Gendron, a former Montello Elementary School teacher, said when her father saw how passionate she was about the charter school, he offered to help.

“He’s invested,” she said. “He has a grandson in the (John F. Murphy) pilot program. We went over our vision and he got excited about it.”

On Monday, the proposed charter school faced questions on budget, contracts, oversight and educational programs from Maine State Charter Commission members. It also drew support and opposition during a public hearing.

Lewiston School Superintendent Bill Webster and Auburn Superintendent Katy Grondin opposed the school. Webster questioned the school’s financial strength and whether its ties were too close to John F. Murphy Homes.

Speaking in favor were teachers and parents who asked that the school be allowed to open, that small classes and giving parents more choices would help students. Several proponents work for Murphy Homes or have children who attend a Murphy kindergarten or pre-kindergarten program.

As proposed, the school would not be for special-needs students. The John F. Murphy and Margaret Murphy programs would provide business services and the educational program for the charter school, Brann said.

The exact location of the school was not revealed, but there are two buildings under consideration, one on outer Lisbon Street, the other in the inner city, Turner said. Either spot would have room to grow, she said.

Acadia Academy proposes to open this fall with about 112 students in pre-kindergarten through grades two, then add two classes each year until it has students from pre-kindergarten to grades six within its fifth year of operation.

Annual revenue for the school would be $1.5 million, which would come from state education money. Annual expenses would be $1.4 million, Brann said.

Proponents said the school would feature small classes where students would get individual attention and expeditionary, hands-on learning.

The school would foster parental participation and offer a nontraditional school calendar; it would be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the summer.

With eyebrows raised, charter commissioner Ande Smith asked Acadia Academy board members what their school would offer that public schools don’t.

“What’s the special sauce?” he asked. Looking at board member Meaghan Swan, Smith said “your elevator speech was scientifically researched based, evidenced-based model.” In his experience, that’s an answer school boards throughout Maine would give.

“So, what I still would like to know is what is it that you’re doing, other than having tiny class sizes in a town that just got steamrollered on unexpected enrollment. I still don’t get it.”

Swan said the school will use evidenced-based curriculum across academic, social and emotional areas, integrated with hands-on learning experiences.

Programs will have embedded benchmark assessments and progress monitoring to identify and support students who are struggling, as well as students who are accelerating.

Teachers “aren’t going to be spending hours at night figuring out a spelling lesson. That’s been created for them,” Swan said. “They get to use their extra time to make important, hands-on expeditionary learning activities for students.”

The commission is scheduled to vote on Acadia Academy on Nov. 17. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in Room 103 of the State Office Building in Augusta.

Statewide there are seven publicly-funded charter schools with about 1,500 students. The charter schools were created under Gov. Paul LePage’s administration; state law allows for three more charter schools, for a total of 10.

John F. Murphy involvement aired at public hearing

AUGUSTA — During Monday’s public hearing on Acadia Academy, Lewiston Superintendent Bill Webster said a charter school application should demonstrate need, accuracy, financial strength, transparency and equality and Acadia’s application falls short.

Last year, the commission rejected the application because of its close ties to John F. Murphy Homes. This year, there’s been some improvement “but too many issues remain unclear,” Webster said. He asked what is Murphy Homes’ motivation to promote the charter school.

He speculated that Murphy Homes may want to diversify as more public schools offer in-house, less expensive special education programs that used to be provided by Murphy Homes.

Murphy Homes has fine programs that public schools will always need, Webster said. But in the past 10 years Lewiston schools have paid Murphy Homes millions of dollars. Because the charter school application was prepared by Murphy Homes employees, it seems the application was funded by money from Maine’s public schools, Webster said.

Another motivation could be that Murphy Homes wants to provide workers with a private school for their children funded by public dollars, Webster said.

Lewiston does not need what Acadia Academy is proposing, Webster said. Lewiston needs a charter school that would serve students not successful in school because of language, poverty and trauma.

Speaking in favor of the charter school, several parents said there aren’t enough school choices. Their children attend a Murphy Homes early education program which would be similar to the charter school and are having success.

Michelle Hathaway of Turner, who works for Murphy Homes and helped develop Acadia Academy, said Auburn schools are pioneers in innovative programs and individualized teaching, but those outside Auburn can’t access Auburn schools or afford out-of-district tuition.

Her two older children have become disenchanted in school since ages 6 and 7, she said. They “were bored out of their minds and didn’t want to go to school. As an educator that killed me.”

A group of parents also disenchanted about public schools began to work on a charter school, she said. Hathaway said she spent hundreds of hours using her personal time working on the proposal.

Her youngest child is 5, attends a pilot Murphy kindergarten program and has benefited, she said. He recently brought home a new book from school. She asked him if he wanted to sound out words.

“He said, ‘No. I’m going to read them to you. He opened that book and read the first page.”

She worked to set up the pilot program “because you know it’s what kids need,” Hathaway said. “I want that for him. I want it for the larger community. That’s why we did this. We have no ulterior motive.”