Highly Successful K – 8 "Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School" needs to Expand
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) Alaska State Director Jim Nordlund today announced that Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School in Wasilla was awarded a USDA-RD Community Facility Direct Loan to construct a new learning facility.
"The Wasilla community has been overwhelmingly supportive of Fronteras. More than 50 supporters attended the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly meeting held in February, to approve the $6.9 million dollar Rural Development loan. The proposed facility will be some 23,000 square feet, and will allow for an additional 16,500 square foot expansion, as the enrollment continues to grow. The Fronteras’ students, their parents and community all benefit by exposure to diversity in culture and language," said Nordlund.
The Community Facilities program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential public service to the local community. Facilities constructed in Alaska include hospitals, clinics, public safety facilities, training centers, community and tribal halls, port facilities, EMS equipment and others.
Representative Jim Colver was a key advocate for the Fronteras School as a member of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly. "This is historic”, stated Colver. “This is the first publically owned and publically financed new construction of a charter school in Alaska."
Since 2009, USDA-Rural Development has invested more than $1.5 billion in more than 200 rural Alaskan communities. These investments in housing, community facilities, business, energy, telecom, electric, water and sewer have helped to grow rural Alaska’s economy and enhance the quality of life for its residents.