Residents question site of Minnesota charter school

As the $21 million St. Croix Preparatory Academy goes up in Baytown Township, Minn., some St. Croix Valley residents are concerned. The site of the charter school is an area known to be contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical, and some question why there was little public discussion or review before ground was broken. Charter schools aren't allowed to build or own facilities, but a third party can build for them and lease the building to the school. The third party in this case is Friends of St. Croix Prep. The K-12 school has rented space in Stillwater, Minn., since opening in 2004. It has 700 students, with a projected capacity of 1,000 in 2015.To read The St. Paul Pioneer Press article, click here.