HADLEY — A $2.5 million loan being sought by the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School should provide the funding to create 14 classrooms inside a second campus building at 300 Venture Way, allowing an expansion of enrollment and possibly new initiatives as student applications to the school surge.

Trustees for the charter school voted unanimously Thursday to authorize Executive Director Richard Alcorn to submit a charter amendment to allow the school to act as a guarantor for the PVCICS Educational Foundation on both a construction loan and a subsequent mortgage, for an amount up to $2.5 million.

Alcorn said this will mean sufficient funding to pay for the conversion of the second floor of the 80,00-square-foot building, acquired for $7.15 million last summer, that is to supplement the main campus at 317 Russell St. campus

“This gets it started,” Alcorn said.

But he added that the board of trustees will have to approve the specifics of the project before any work begins.

The board of trustees also gave Alcorn the authority to develop a small building committee, which will include one or more representatives of the board of trustees to work with the PVCICS Educational Foundation to develop plans and proposals for one or more construction projects.

Alcorn said he anticipates that parents, teachers and others will have input into the renovation plans.

The actions came a week after the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in late February narrowly authorized a 100-student increase in enrollment at PVCICS, from a maximum of 584 K-12 students to 684 K-12 students. Alcorn said a growth plan over the next several years is being developed.

At the same time, the state board set a series of conditions, including that the PVCICS board of trustees engage in a comprehensive self-evaluation of its capacity and expertise; that the board of trustees engage in training, conducted by an external consultant, on the roles and responsibilities of a board of trustees of a charter school; and that the board of trustees submit a plan to implement a cost-effective regional transportation plan eligible for state reimbursement.

Applications surge

With the expansion in place, Principal Kathleen Wang told trustees that there is an “historically large” number of applicants who would like to attend the school beginning in the fall. Alcorn added that applications were about 20% higher than a normal year, reflecting what he said is a high-quality, bilingual program.

“We’re doing a great job, that’s why people are applying to come to the program,” Alcorn said.

In addition to the applicants for the main entry-point grades — kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade — there were also a high number of applications for the “backfill” grades from first through fifth grades. An average of 21 families have applied for each of these grade levels, even though those slots would only be available should a current student leave.

For the incoming kindergarten class, there were 112 applications for what is expected to be 44 slots, meaning that only about 40% will be admitted. At sixth grade, the school has 45 applications, and will admit 20, or just under half of those who’ve applied. Finally, at ninth grade, the school got 36 applications, and with an effort to get that grade level up to 60 students, 20 would likely be admitted, or just over half of those who’ve applied.

Even before any renovation of the Venture Way building for school use gets underway, the school has committed to a $1.1 million project to install nine dual-fuel HVAC units. With rebates and other assorted funding sources, the total cost is $521,486. Alcorn said there had been no maintenance on the Venture Way site in recent years. This expense will be paid off over 20 years, he said.

Wang said significant decisions will be made about space, staffing and operations. In addition to the 14 classrooms that could serve 180 high school students, Alcorn said teachers would like to put five additional classrooms on the first floor at Venture Way, and create space for a cafeteria, and possibly convert the warehouse into a theater and use another area as a gymnasium.

“A lot of things are in play that will be resolved over time,” Alcorn said.

Parents raise concerns

Even as the board of trustees began the meeting by signing up for Open Meeting Law training, as required by the state, several parents who spoke during public comment said they are not reassured by the requirements of state oversight.

One parent said the school is not supporting all learners, including those who require special education plans, and has fallen short in providing the transportation needed, while another expressed concerns about conflicts of interest with the make-up of the PVICICS Educational Foundation.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.