The new K-12 school hopes to open in the fall and has made it its mission to work closely with parents regarding education.

Spokesperson Mark Kuczma said the idea for the new school stems from a pair of meetings held late last year at the APlex. Kuczma said the idea of a Christian school was being considered before the meetings for about a year before the meetings.

Those meetings stemmed from frustration from parents about COVID-19 mask mandates and concern about the school’s curriculum.

Kuczma the school is an A-political entity.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A row of computers line one of the classrooms at the Berean Christian School. The Christian school hopes to open in the fall and provide an alternative to the public school system.

He said the goal is not to replace the public school system, but to offer an alternative.

The school is located on U.S.-23 South behind the Alpena Seventh Day Adventist Church.

“There was concern about what was being taught in the public school system, but for those parents who have issues that they can’t address. We don’t need to be bumping heads with the public school and we need to support them however we can, but we are providing options for families,” Kuczma said.

Kuczma said there were a lot of people seeking another option for their children, so, with the assistance of other interested parties, the work to create a new school began. He said other parochial schools, such as All Saints and Immanuel Lutheran, have limited space for more students, so the new school will fill a need.

He said the curriculum will focus on history and civics, along with math, English and other core subjects. It will also make a music choir program available to students.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A play area for younger students is tucked away in the corner of one of the classrooms at the Berean Christian School. The new Christian school hopes to open in the fall and provide an alternative to the public school system.

Kuczma said the school will have a class that covers Bible scripture, but religion will not be the overarching topic at the school. He said a family’s faith and beliefs are best served at home.

“We are not here to indoctrinate the children in any specific religion,” he said.

The school will have four classrooms, so it is likely that grades will be split. There is a kitchen where hot lunch will be served and a gym for recreation.

Parents will need to provide transportation for their children.

Like most private schools, there will be an enrollment fee, which Kuczma said is $3,400 per student. There is a discount for multiple children from one family and an assistance program to help low-income families. Kuczma said students can be sponsored to help cover the cost of the enrollment.

Kuczma said funding from foundations can help cover enrollment costs and there will also be a program where students can go to school and pay back the fee by volunteering in the community.

The next several months will be critical for the school, Kuczma said. He said the school has a capacity of about 80 students, but really needs a minimum of 20 to open in the fall.

People who are interested in the school can learn more about it on its Facebook page and website.

“We are really hoping we will be able to meet the needs we have in this community,” Kuczma said.