Charter school planned near Mapleton public elementary sparks concerns over traffic, safety

MAPLETON — A charter school with a unique vision is working through the final steps of approval before it begins building in Mapleton. But residents in the neighborhood are uniting to express concerns about its location across the street from the public elementary school, worried about the increased traffic and potential danger for students.

The Louisa May Alcott Community School is built around "place-based learning" — learning in the community and nature. Clint Biesinger with Roundtable Funding, a Utah company supporting the school and helping it get started, said this specific location stood out to the founders because it is within a mile of two different canyons and is near a walking trail the students can utilize.

He said the school's founders are from Mapleton and wanted the school to be in that area. They were looking at two properties, and the one at about 1250 E. 1200 North was a better financial option, while being particularly exciting because of the time students will spend outside.

The school will provide a very specific type of education that will meet the needs of some community members better, according to Biesinger. The school will have a "food forest," gardens and a greenhouse. Students will do fieldwork outside, and it will have an emphasis on literature.

"This is just a different opportunity for kids to go where they can really thrive," he said.

Neighborhood concerns

Jen Sommerfeldt moved into her home about a year and a half ago and has children attending Hobble Creek Elementary nearby. Within just a few days after learning about the proposed school, she attended a community meeting with many others in the neighborhood and joined a chat with about 100 people discussing the applicable laws to find the best place to direct their concerns.

She said the chat is going all day, and some are working to change state law to prevent a similar situation for others. Sommerfeldt was helping get the word out about the school, passing out flyers during after-school pickup after she felt blindsided by the news.

"All of us are all for people having choices of where they want to do education. That's great; they've just chosen a really poor location," she said about the proposed school that sits across the street from the public elementary school and not far from a junior high on the same street.

People involved in the group have built a website, created and promoted multiple Change.org petitions and are asking the school to reconsider the location.

Kids in the neighborhood often bike or walk to school early to play on the playground, and there is already significant school traffic, Sommerfeldt said. The current proposed start time, although offset, would still be when many of their neighborhood's kids are out on the street, some crossing the street the traffic would be on.

The local mom agrees that Mapleton would be a great place for the school, but said this street is small and does not have a shoulder or consistent sidewalks. She said this would require the city to pay for upgrades to keep students safe with the increased traffic it would bring. She said increasing the areas for parking or queuing and a significantly staggered start time would help — but she is still hoping for a new location.

"We like being a small town, we like this sense of community, and I absolutely think the charter school could be part of that. I just think they need to choose a place that's not going to create long-term adverse effects for the people that are already there," she told KSL.

Although Sommerfeldt feels like there's not much they can do about the school adding traffic to her community, she said seeing the community's response has changed her life. She now knows that if she is more directly impacted by a decision, her neighbors will have her back.

"It's nice to know we have a community that pulls together when we need to," she said.

Responses

Rick Nielsen, the superintendent of Nebo School District, wrote a letter to the city on Tuesday asking for the school's location to be reconsidered and any approvals delayed. It said there are important questions about student safety and traffic, as well as concerns about the number of students.

"It seems an illogical and questionable use of taxpayer dollars to build a second, publicly funded school in direct proximity to an existing school already operating below capacity ... and in an area where district school closure is already under consideration," he said.

The Louisa May Alcott school anticipates accepting 525 students from Kindergarten through 7th grade, and there are 1,300 people on their interest list right now, primarily from Mapleton, Springville and Spanish Fork, Biesinger said. It is a charter school and will be publicly funded.

Biesinger said having community concerns — especially about safety — when putting in a charter school is not abnormal, and the school is working with the city and the state fire marshal to discuss safety as they work on site plans.

According to Biesinger, they are looking at staggering start times, planning to coordinate carpools and being mindful of the community concerns while in the design process.

"They're trying to be a good neighbor," he said.

The city posted on social media that the school has "generated significant interest and questions from nearby residents." It published a Frequently Asked Questions page to explain the city's role in the approval, which is limited.

"Mapleton City is committed to ensuring that the proposed school receives a thorough and legally appropriate review. … While state law limits the City's ability to require certain changes, the City can continue working cooperatively with the school to seek practical solutions that protect student safety and minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods," the page says.

The process

The building permit for a new school is granted by Utah's Division of Facilities and Construction Management. Biesinger said this is a recent change; it was previously with the Utah Board of Education. Although the city is not involved in the permit, it is involved in building placement, traffic, and establishing queue areas on the lot.

The Louisa May Alcott Community School hopes to get the building started soon, with permits in the next few weeks, so it can begin building and be ready to open at the start of the 2027-2028 school year.

Biesinger said the school has held regular community meetings, and the organizers have gone to public events like the farmer's market. He says they have received positive feedback and are seeing excited families.

"I know that not everybody's going to be happy, but you know, we're really just focused on trying to help kids have a place where they can thrive," he said.

The philosophy behind the school is based on data, and that it will be able to "move the meter" for some kids who will succeed in the unique atmosphere the school will provide, according to Biesinger. He said the school is the culmination of a career around literacy and education for founder Carrie Ashcraft.

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