School wants grant approval

In the midst of its tussle with the Chico Unified School District over fees to rent the district’s West 11th Street property, Chico Country Day School is counting on the district’s Board of Trustees to secure funding that would upgrade the campus.

Last year, the Chico charter school was awarded $8.4 million under Prop 1D. Voters passed the proposition—a $10.4 billion bond measure—in November 2006. It includes an allocation of $500 million expressly for charter-school improvements.

CCDS’ Board of Directors has sent a letter to the trustees asking for them to accept the pending award. The rub is that half of the money comes in the form of a long-term loan—a debt CUSD would incur.

The letter notes that the improvements to the south-Chico campus will benefit not only the school, but also the district and the campus’ surrounding neighborhood. The letter asks the trustees to take up the issue at their next regular meeting on Oct. 28.