Committee approves waiver to let Wallace Stegner Academy open Sunset satellite this fall

The Utah State Board of Education licensing committee voted unanimously to approve a waiver allowing Wallace Stegner Academy to open a Sunset satellite campus for the 2025–26 school year.

The waiver exempts the charter operator from the October 1 deadline in Utah Administrative Rule R277-550-26(7), which requires satellite schools to report enrollment capacities to the state superintendent before the fiscal year. Committee members said the school secured a building earlier than anticipated and asked the committee to clear the timing hurdle so remodeling can begin ahead of fall enrollment.

Adam Gerlach, co-executive director of Wallace Stegner Academy, told the committee the operator had an unexpected opportunity to occupy a former Davis School District building and that the school hopes to restore a neighborhood option in the Fremont/Sunset area. "We were actually just really excited for the opportunity to give the kids that live in the Fremont, Sunset area an opportunity to return to their home school," Gerlach said.

Staff attorney Ashley Beal summarized the legal point: "This request is coming in for a waiver of administrative rule R277-550-26(7) which requires satellite schools to provide their enrollment capacities to the state superintendent every year on October 1 before the fiscal year." Beal told the committee she had consulted finance staff and Scott Jones' team and that staff did not expect the change to cause significant fiscal impacts.

Committee members asked about recruitment, student demographics and local coordination with district superintendents. Gerlach said Wallace Stegner campuses serve a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and described prior outreach efforts; he said the operator has had more success engaging districts in Davis County than in Salt Lake County.

Vice Chair Bollinger moved to approve the waiver and forward the matter to the full board for approval. Member Hall asked that the board leadership schedule the item for the next week's board meeting to expedite the school's remodel and opening; Bollinger accepted the amendment. The committee then voted; Chair Carey announced the motion "passes unanimously."

The committee forwarded the waiver request to the Utah State Board of Education with a recommendation to approve at the next board meeting.