A trio of former Summit Preparatory School teachers this month are launching a private entity billing itself as a democratic micro school in downtown Springfield.
Dubbed u.school, the nonprofit venture with a 40-student cap gives students and their parents a vote on operations, including selection of the board of directors and the annual budget, said Patrick Misterovich, one of three founders and board president.
“Students themselves will make decisions about the day-to-day running of the school,” he said, including “simple things like cleaning up to budget expenditures.”
“It will be their school.”
Misterovich and co-founders Sandy Frye and Laura Stroup, all former teachers at Summit Preparatory School, also brought on Jennifer Whalen, who moved to Springfield four years ago and has worked on an organic farm and a corner grocery, according to u.school’s
website. Summit Preparatory School, 2155 W. Chesterfield Blvd., had fall 2015 enrollment of 138, according to Springfield Business Journal’s 2016 list of the largest elementary and secondary private schools.
Enrollment for the sixth-12th grade u.school currently is at 32 for the semester beginning Aug. 22. Misterovich said the school would temporarily operate at 310 S. Campbell Ave. until their 425 W. McDaniel St., Ste. 160, space at College Station is ready. The teachers are targeting a Sept. 1 or Oct. 1 move to the 3,000-square-foot space at the Scott Tillman-owned development, where they signed a three-year lease for undisclosed terms.
“Downtown was important,” Misterovich said. “We wanted to be where they could walk to a variety of businesses and nonprofits and colleges.
“We wanted to be able to extend our classroom out from the four walls where we would live.”
In addition to standard classes such as math, science, history and English, u.school also will allow students to curate exhibits for First Friday Art Walk, hold poetry slams or political debates, and work as interns.
Full-time tuition is $7,500 per year.
