(Crescent) — Officials with a new public charter school in Crescent are still searching for a site for their facility.
At its latest meeting on Friday, the Iowa Board of Education received an update from Red Barn Schoolhouse officials on their efforts to acquire a site. After the state board initially granted the public charter school to start offering kindergarten through 3rd grade classes this fall, the group was given a one-year extension earlier this summer. Sharon Oamek is a board member with Red Barn Schoolhouse and says what were “promising negotiations” on a three-and-a-half-acre property in Crescent stalled when the owner died and his heirs raised the asking price for the land.
“That site is very central in Crescent and has about three-and-a-half acres, but the price they want is too high,” said Oamek. “There is an existing building we were hoping to use as an interim facility, but they want $700,000 and we just don’t think it’s worth that–given that we still have to build a school.”…