North Star still needs financial backing.

MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP -- North Star Academy in Marquette Township is moving forward with an elementary school.  Only one big problem:  they don't have a place to house the students for the beginning of the upcoming school year.  Regardless, 77 elementary school students have already enrolled for September. 

Parents, on Wednesday night, said they're determined to send their kids to the charter school this fall.  Gina Cobb of Marquette is leaning towards sending her five-year-old daughter to North Star Academy this fall.

"I don't like how the public schools, right now in Marquette, have the K to 3 and the 4 to 6, and they keep switching schools within the district,” said Cobb.  “I'd rather she grow up with the same group of friends and for the most part, in elementary school, stay in one building."

So Gina and other parents came to a special school board meeting Wednesday night to find out more about the new North Star elementary school.  But because of a tight deadline and financial backers falling through, a new addition to the back of the current middle and high school wouldn't be ready for the new school year on September 8.  In fact, funding for the estimated $1.8 million construction project hasn't even been secured yet.  The board hopes to find out more about their funding situation Thursday.

But the board remains optimistic the money will be there, and no matter what, they'll find a place for elementary students.

"If we're not building, we'll find another building that we will be able to lease,” said North Star Academy C.E.O. Karen Anderson.  “If we're building, we'll just seek a temporary facility."

Parents at the meeting said that sending their child to a temporary facility for awhile would be better than the alternative.

"My son does a lot better as most elementary school students do in a small classroom,” said mother Suzan Travis-Robyns.  “He had 26 kids in his kindergarten and that's just too many to do anything but police the children.”