The state has recognized the closure of Soldotna Prep School and its consolidation with Soldotna High School in accordance with state statute.
This fall, Soldotna Prep did not open its doors to local ninth graders. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education voted to close and consolidate the school in May.
This fall, the ninth graders originally housed in Soldotna Prep joined the 10th, 11th and 12th grade students already using the Soldotna High campus.
A Sept. 24 letter from the state Department of Education and Early Development accepted the closure and consolidation.
“The department appreciates the district’s efforts to work in cooperation with the families of Soldotna as this closure and transition takes place,” the letter said.
According to state statute, the district may not submit a request to the department to reopen Soldotna Prep until seven or more years have passed since the date of the closure. If that time comes, the district will also need to provide evidence that Soldotna High School is over capacity.
Soldotna Prep School has been turned back over to the borough, which will decide what is next for the building. Over the summer, incident management teams tackling the Swan Lake Fire this summer headquartered themselves in the building.
