Charter Concerns

Formal complaints have been filed against Whitmore Classical Academy, charging potential illegal associations with religious organizations and problems with the school’s proposed curriculum.

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Written and photographed by Will Yurman

At least three complaints have been filed by Florence-area residents against the Whitmore Classical Academy charter school. The complaints center on the school’s proposed curriculum and potential religious entanglement with faith-based organizations.

Whitmore Executive Director Jennifer Waggoner said in an interview Friday that she is confident the school is meeting its legal and contractual obligations and is following state and federal laws. 

The charter school had made its curriculum available to the public as part of its contract with the Siuslaw School District. That period of review ended on Friday, March 6. Waggoner said she will put a team together to review the comments, including the complaints, and they will submit a report to the charter’s board, which will then vote on the curriculum. 

The district’s superintendent and the charter school disagree on who is responsible for making sure the curriculum meets state and federal requirements. Waggoner said that it is the charter school’s responsibility. “It seems that the school district, or at least the superintendent, thinks that they have jurisdiction over our curriculum, and they don’t,” Waggoner said.  

Siuslaw School District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak is clear that he believes the district, as the charter school’s legal sponsor, has a legal responsibility to make sure the charter school’s curriculum follows the law. But the district school board appears divided on the issue and has yet to discuss the current complaints in a public forum.

In a February 26th email, Siuslaw School Board member Tamara Cole expressed concerns that the district board is interfering unnecessarily with the charter school. “We do not have a say as a board over the Charter School curriculum,” Cole wrote, adding, “We have already voted and gave the Charter school a GO, but it seems some on our board are dragging their feet and honestly, in my opinion, are just trying to slow down the process so they can’t open in time.”

The superintendent disagreed. “The Siuslaw School District Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for the charter school operations, and board members cannot absolve themselves from their legal obligations as elected officials with a simplistic response of ‘we don’t have a say over the charter school curriculum.’ To knowingly allow the charter school to fail to implement all curriculum standards would constitute negligence by the board,” he wrote in response.

This is one of several key points of disagreement in the ongoing debate over actions and processes taken by the charter school, part of an often-heated debate that goes back to the origin of the charter school and has played out in meetings and on social media.

In early February, Florence-area resident Carlin Washburn filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Education, alleging “religious entanglement,” a term the ODE defines as “Under Oregon law, a public school may not financially support or be actively involved with religious activity.” 

In an email, the Department of Education said an investigator had been assigned to the case but could not provide an estimate for when the investigation will be complete. 

A second complaint was filed by local resident Emma Muehle detailing a list of concerns. Muehle said the ODE responded by email and said it would notify her by March 19, 2026, on whether they would open an investigation into her complaint.

The charter school, in Muehle’s opinion, is more concerned with ideology than caring for the kids. “And, instead of the school district really holding them accountable and making sure that they truly comply, the school district is taking on ever more liability by not holding [Whitmore Classical Academy] accountable,” Muehler said.

Muehler’s complaint echoes Washburn’s but also includes concerns about the curriculum, the district’s oversight, and hiring concerns.

A reminder. A charter school is a public school. In Oregon, as in most states, charter schools were created to allow for different methods of teaching. They are often thought of as a testing ground for new ideas. They receive state funding, just as district schools do, and offer a free public school education. They can use different curricula and methods, but that doesn’t exempt them from complying with state and federal laws. 

Both complaints, along with a third one by area resident Karin Radtke, have been presented to both the district and Whitmore Academy school boards. 

At some point, the Oregon Department of Education will rule on the Washburn and Muehle complaints filed with the state.

Meanwhile, district Superintendent Grzeskowiak is proposing to create an independent curriculum review committee based on the district’s Reconsideration of Core Instructional Materials policy. 

“The district does not specifically approve the curriculum of the charter school. But the district is required to make sure that the curriculum that is implemented meets all state standards. The charter school is not exempt from the basic standards that apply to all public schools with regards to state standards and curriculum materials,” Superintendent Grzeskowiak said in an email. 

He added that the charter’s proposed curriculum has a solid framework, but “Where the curriculum appears to be lacking is in the broad, well-rounded cultural and social reference.”  Schools in the district, even a charter school, must have a curriculum that is balanced and neutral, he said. “The curriculum presents primarily one general societal viewpoint across many subject areas.”

The district school board has added time to discuss the curriculum review to its March 11 board meeting. 

“The whole point for charter schools is to be a controlled laboratory, to be different, to try different curriculum, to try different instructional models, to see if something works,” Waggoner said. The charter school’s position is that it may use materials from religious institutions as long as the materials themselves are not religious, she said. 

Whitmore Classical Academy is moving forward towards its goal of a fall opening. They will do their own review of their curriculum before presenting it to their board, Waggoner said. They hope to close on the former Rite Aid building soon, and on March 9, plan to release the number of students who applied for the school lottery. If there are more applicants than available seats, students will be selected by lottery. If there are still seats available, families will still be able to enroll their children, Waggoner said.