Parents and charter leaders urge stronger academic acceleration and equitable funding for Bend International School
June 17, 2025 | Bend-LaPine Administrative SD 1, School Districts, Oregon
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Several students, parents and a charter leader told the Bend‑LaPine School Board on June 17 that advanced learners and the district’s only authorized charter school need clearer academic pathways and fairer funding.
Second‑grader Solian Buckley told the board he wants “to do hard math at school” and said he has been working above grade level at home; his mother, Cara Buckley, said district testing last fall showed Solian scored 99% on a second‑grade math assessment and that an outside evaluation later this year found he was performing at approximately ninth‑grade level. Cara Buckley said the family asked the teacher and district for a plan and clear communication for third grade but found it difficult to get answers: “We’re not asking for perfection or promises, just a way to keep him learning and to keep school a place where he feels challenged and excited.”
Student speakers from Bend International School (BIS) described the school’s strengths and asked for funding parity. Melissa Barnes Delakia, BIS executive director, told the board that federal funds for Title I, Title III and IDEA go to the district and are not passed through to the charter school; she said BIS receives only restricted weighted student funding and for special education the charter receives roughly one‑third of what the district receives per student. Barnes Delakia asked the district to “be a leader in equity” and to help BIS prepare for an upcoming charter renewal.
Student Sylvie Cummings, a BIS recent valedictorian, and other students said the school’s teachers and programs have expanded but that additional funding could open new opportunities.
District response: the meeting chair and staff indicated that members of the district team would follow up with the families and the charter school leaders; no board policy or funding action was taken at the meeting.
Why it matters: parents and students raised concerns about the district’s handling of advanced learners and about funding flows to an authorized charter school; both issues affect classroom instruction, program access and resource allocation.
No formal board vote or change in funding was recorded at the meeting; staff follow‑up was promised.
Second‑grader Solian Buckley told the board he wants “to do hard math at school” and said he has been working above grade level at home; his mother, Cara Buckley, said district testing last fall showed Solian scored 99% on a second‑grade math assessment and that an outside evaluation later this year found he was performing at approximately ninth‑grade level. Cara Buckley said the family asked the teacher and district for a plan and clear communication for third grade but found it difficult to get answers: “We’re not asking for perfection or promises, just a way to keep him learning and to keep school a place where he feels challenged and excited.”
Student speakers from Bend International School (BIS) described the school’s strengths and asked for funding parity. Melissa Barnes Delakia, BIS executive director, told the board that federal funds for Title I, Title III and IDEA go to the district and are not passed through to the charter school; she said BIS receives only restricted weighted student funding and for special education the charter receives roughly one‑third of what the district receives per student. Barnes Delakia asked the district to “be a leader in equity” and to help BIS prepare for an upcoming charter renewal.
Student Sylvie Cummings, a BIS recent valedictorian, and other students said the school’s teachers and programs have expanded but that additional funding could open new opportunities.
District response: the meeting chair and staff indicated that members of the district team would follow up with the families and the charter school leaders; no board policy or funding action was taken at the meeting.
Why it matters: parents and students raised concerns about the district’s handling of advanced learners and about funding flows to an authorized charter school; both issues affect classroom instruction, program access and resource allocation.
No formal board vote or change in funding was recorded at the meeting; staff follow‑up was promised.
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