Kimberly Townsend, founder and executive director of The Leadership School in Pagedale, celebrates the opening of the first charter school in 最新杏吧原创 County, on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
PAGEDALE 鈥 The first Missouri charter school outside of 最新杏吧原创 or Kansas City represents a victory for education reform and a challenge for the Normandy school district.
The Leadership School opened last month in two converted warehouses at 1785 Pennsylvania Avenue for 94 students in kindergarten, first and second grades, short of its projected enrollment of 125. The school expects to add a grade each year and grow to 450 students through eighth grade.
Students sing their school song, "I Wanna Be a Leader," at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first charter school in 最新杏吧原创 County, The Leadership School, on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
鈥淚t has not been an easy journey to do something that has never been done before,鈥 said founder and executive director Kimberly Townsend at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to parents who have chosen The Leadership School for their young leaders ... the insistence of our parents to keep going, it has been the fuel.鈥
Charter schools are tuition-free and taxpayer-funded but operated by appointed boards separate from the school district. Under state law, charter schools can open in 最新杏吧原创, Kansas City and other districts that persistently fail to meet state standards, including the Normandy Schools Collaborative.
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Normandy schools have not been fully accredited for the last decade and are under the control of the Missouri Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. In 2021, Normandy students scored lower than any district in the state in English with 14% proficiency and second lowest in math with 5% proficiency.
Peyton Lloyd, a second grader at The Leadership School, settles into her seat on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, during an opening ceremony at 最新杏吧原创 County's first charter school. The school, located in Pagedale, currently serves kindergarten through second grade.
The student population in Normandy has been steadily dropping to nearly 2,900 students last year, about half the enrollment it had 30 years ago. Advocates for charter schools say families deserve a choice other than private schools or moving to higher-performing districts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see that charter schools in the state of Missouri are expanding beyond the urban core,鈥 said Edie Barnard of the . 鈥淭he fact remains there are a lot of families and children that need more options.鈥
The Leadership School was scheduled to open a year ago but was postponed by low enrollment and building delays. The school also faced organized opposition from the community led by the , elected officials who say the school will siphon students and tax dollars making it more difficult for Normandy to improve its schools.
Kimberly Townsend, founder and executive director of The Leadership School, located in Pagedale, listens on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, during an opening ceremony at 最新杏吧原创 County's first charter school. The school currently serves kindergarten through second grade but hopes to add a level each year to reach grade eight.
鈥淲e fought it and we鈥檙e still fighting it,鈥 said Brian Jackson, mayor of Beverly Hills. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e making a really bad mistake. The people who are harmed are children thrown into an experiment.鈥
Charter schools have a mixed record in 最新杏吧原创. About half of the 35 charter school organizations that have opened in 最新杏吧原创 since 2000 were shut down for academic or financial failures. In June, Arch Community School in north 最新杏吧原创 became the latest to shutter, displacing 100 students and 24 staff members. Townsend鈥檚 prior charter school experience includes founding leader of Jamaa Learning Center, which closed in 2016 under financial stress.
The Leadership School is bolstered financially by the , an education reform organization that has funded a new crop of charter schools in 最新杏吧原创 over the last few years. The school will focus on personalized learning and community partnerships. The bright classrooms surround a multipurpose room and there are plans to build a playground on the campus. Art, theater, dance and music classes are taught by instructors from the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in University City.
At the opening ceremony Wednesday, students sang their theme song, 鈥淚 Wanna Be a Leader鈥 to an audience of board members, business leaders and parents.
Shantel Powell said her daughter Shannon struggled in the first grade in Normandy. In her first couple weeks at The Leadership School, the girl 鈥渉as turned around and everything is positive,鈥 Powell said. 鈥淣ow she has confidence and the leadership in her has come upfront. I鈥檓 just grateful for the charter school.鈥
