DowntownKC.net

Looks like KC managed to convince a high-profile national charter school to open its doors in the downtown area in the near future.

Links
- Discussion thread
- High-profile charter school poised for KC (KC Star)
- Union Station High School? (KC Star)
- KIPP.org

Quick rundown…
- Founded & managed by the KIPP Foundation (Knowledge Is Power Program)
- It would be a charter school, meaning public and tax-payer funded, but run by a local, independent board.
- KIPP currently educates 12,000 students in 52 schools around the country.
- The state has already approved the school, so the next step is to find a location. Everything from Downtown at 9th & Grand, to the crossroads, Midtown, 18th & Vine, and Union Station have been discussed as possible sites.
- A KIPP school is far different from the education environment that most public schools have. Students are given the teachers phone number and home visits are encouraged. School days are longer, and have more days in session per year than traditional public schools.
- 80% of KIPP graduates attend college, which is rather remarkable for schools that primarily educate urban youth.

My thoughts?
While I am thrilled KC has been given the opportunity to have a school such as this, one reason publicly stated for getting this school is to try and convince young families to stay in the downtown area and personally, and I don’t think that is a very realistic vision for this project. I am a 20-something resident of Downtown KC, and once I have children of schooling age, I’m not sending them into the KCMO school district as it currently is, and I’m in the majority with that line of thinking too. In 5-10 years it might be in better shape than it currently is, but still… it’s going to take a lot to convince me not to move to the suburbs or send my children to private school so they can have a quality education. Living downtown is cool, but I’m not going to sacrifice my children for that luxury.