ARCO, Idaho -- Across the street from Butte County High School sits Arco's other school.
Light-green paint peels from the window ledge and a broken screen door sways in the breeze. A homemade computer banner taped to the window reads "Lost Rivers Charter School."Inside the five-room house, teacher Kathy Cole reviews a biology lesson with her students.
They are gathered in a shag-carpeted living room with imitation wood grain walls learning to classify plants. Three girls sit at a folding table with Cole while four boys lean back, chairs pressed against the wall, tablets on their laps.
Cole bounces her 2-year-old grandson on her lap and explains the day's lesson. Two boys pass an infant between them while the baby's mother jots down instructions.
"We usually have a few babies here with us. We're a lot more informal here than they are across the street," Cole explained, motioning her head toward Butte County High School.
It hasn't been an easy year for Idaho's first charter school or its two teachers.
They've fended off rumors of rampant drug and alcohol use by students, low education standards and lax discipline. And there's been barely enough money for supplies and books.
"It's been a struggle," Cole said.
Though charter schools receive state money, no two are alike. Arco's is intended primarily for students having a difficult time in public schools. Other charter school backers will target different students, such as those interested in vocational studies or the arts.
But the problems faced by Arco, and the state's other charter school, in Moscow, have convinced the authors of the charter school bill, passed a year ago, that changes need to be made. They now support allowing charter school students to take classes or participate in extracurricular activities in the public schools.
Yet, despite the school's problems, Arco's charter school supporters say Lost Rivers is reaching students who couldn't succeed in public high schools.
Susan Olson of Mackay credits Lost Rivers with keeping her son, Chris, in school. He likes the hours and the school's close-knit atmosphere. She said he attends school on a regular basis, something he rarely did before.
"If Chris didn't have the charter he probably would have dropped out and had to get his GED," the equivalent of a high school diploma, she said.
The informality that Olson said has helped her son succeed is a way of life at Lost Rivers.
Cole is Kathy to her students, Mr. and Mrs. are left at the screen door.
She is part instructor, mother and confidant. She counsels students on court appearances, foster parents, parenthood and the stigma of being the so-called "bad kids" in the small desert town.
There are no bells, desks or tardy slips. Classes run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friday is a makeup day for those who missed school earlier in the week.
Lost Rivers offers classes on a block schedule. Students study three subjects intensively during a six-week period.
To Cole and Boyd Burnett, the part-time administrator, the relaxed atmosphere is what keeps these students -- many of whom didn't fit in or were kicked out of traditional high school -- in class and on track to graduation.
"They don't fit the mold of a normal student," Cole said. "It's not that they don't want to learn, they just need a different environment and more attention."
But Lost Rivers' low-stress philosophy has been criticized by some in Arco. Burnett has gone before the school board to field questions about Lost Rivers' curriculum, attendance and discipline.
"There have been real concerns that there's too much latitude," said Karen Pyron, a principal in the school district and one of the original backers of the charter school. "There's also concerns that maybe classes aren't up to par."
Relations between Lost Rivers and Butte County High School have been strained.
Problems arose earlier this year when three students couldn't fit economics into their schedules so they walked across the street and took a 50-plus hour class at Lost Rivers.
The high school refused to accept the credits because Lost Rivers is not accredited. Finally, the school district invited the state Department of Education to resolve the dispute.
Carolyn Mauer, Idaho's charter school coordinator, and other officials toured Lost Rivers. They recommended Cole and Burnett rewrite the charter to better reflect their educational standards and how they planned to meet them.
"There was just a breakdown of communication," Mauer said. "The school district wasn't sure what was happening at the charter school. We got the communication flowing back and forth again."
Mauer is urging the charter schools to seek accreditation even though they are not required to have it. She said it will ease districts' worries that charter schools lack the same expectations of their students and would make transferring credits between the two easier.
Cole and Burnett have taken the state's advice and are rewriting the charter and readying the school for accreditation this fall. The school board will review the charter this summer and can revoke it if they determine it's not working.
In the meantime, the students who took the Lost Rivers course have to take Butte County High's final economics exam to receive credit for the class.
Superintendent Janet Aikele said the state told them not to accept Lost Rivers credits until they are accredited.
"We don't know what (their students) know," she said. "But if they're accredited we'll feel comfortable accepting the credits."
Cole and Burnett, both of whom are certified teachers, admit Lost Rivers needs more supplies and computers but defend its curriculum and standards.
They also maintain that they are accountable and have to prove to the school board their students are mastering subjects.
Both Burnett and Cole believe the animosity toward Lost Rivers stems from it being an alternative school. They said its charter school status just complicates the situation.