New private school to open in Springfield

A new private school in Springfield might not yet have classrooms, but a plan for its debut is moving forward, with a new name and new leadership.
Independent School of Springfield board members March 4 announced a new identity for the school that has been in the discussion stages for about five years. Now known as The Summit Preparatory School of Southwest Missouri, school will be in session in August, under the leadership of Head of School Gwen Douglas.

The money
Staying financially sound is a priority for The Summit’s board.
“We don’t want to open a school and close it in two years,” said Anne Winkler, M.D., Ph.D., board chairperson.
She estimates that the school, a 501(c)3 corporation, will require a budget of $800,000 to $1.1 million to operate its first year, depending on the number of students enrolled, teachers hired and the mortgage or rent commitment.
About $55,000 has been raised to date, including $12,000 from a March 5 gala and silent auction at The Tower Club.
“We have raised enough that it’s going to happen regardless. It’s opening August 2005. That’s not an issue at all,” Winkler said.
The school won’t rely on fund-raising as its sole support. Winkler estimates fund-raising will make up about 10 percent of the budget.
“We want to raise $100,000 between July 2005 and July 2006, which we think we should be able to do,” Winkler said. “Anything extra we raise is icing on the cake.”
Tuition – at $4,200 a year per student – also will help pay the bills. In-kind donations have been accepted as well.
“We already have a promise from Harry Cooper that he would help us with the infrastructure of the building through his company, Harry Cooper Supply,” Winkler said, adding that a dollar value has not been determined.
Cooper could not be reached by press time.

Staff and students
The school anticipates needing 10 teachers to open its doors, and two have signed on. Becky Alexander, with 12 years of experience teaching in private and public schools, will teach kindergarten. Pauline Barker, who has more than 20 years of experience teaching with Greenwood Laboratory School at Southwest Missouri State University, will teach second grade.
“We hope to have most of the teachers hired within the next few weeks,” Winkler said.
The Summit’s first-year goal is to enroll 135 students; about 50 applications have been received so far. The school has no religious affiliation.
Missy and B.J. Joplin, of Springfield, have submitted an application for their daughter, Maddy, who will be in kindergarten next fall.
“We’re in the Wanda Gray School district, which is a great school, but it’s really overcrowded,” Missy Joplin said. “Probably the thing that attracts us most to The Summit is the small class size and the ability to teach to the individual child.”
Classes at The Summit, Winkler said, will be limited to about 14 students.
“I think our goal really is to teach children how to teach themselves, eventually; to teach them how to be life-long learners, because that’s what life is about,” Winkler said. “We’re all still learning and those of us who are able to do it are more likely to be happier and successful than those who aren’t.”

Accreditation
Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, a master’s degree in education from Southwest Baptist University, and is working toward her Ph.D. in family counseling from Capella University in Minneapolis. She has more than 23 years of experience in education, most recently as director of clinical experiences for Baptist Bible College. Prior to that, Douglas spent three years as elementary principal at New Covenant Academy. In both roles, she said, she was in charge of accreditation, a skill that will prove handy in her new role.
“We have to start what’s called a self study from Day 1. We collect documentation and get that ready so we can apply to the accreditation process,” Douglas said.
John Braman, president of Independent Schools Association of Central States, the accrediting body for private schools in this region, said accreditation is an “ongoing, lengthy, methodical process.”
“The seven-year process is typically one that starts with communications and activities and, increasingly, by around Year 3, leads toward an evaluation visit by a team of peers from other schools that are already accredited,” he said. “These are teachers and administrators that come visit the school in the third year of the cycle.”
Kindergarten through grade six will be offered the first year. Grades seven and eight will be offered in the school’s second year, and grades nine through 12 will be developed in the school’s third and fourth years, Winkler said.
Additional board members are Jim Jordan, M.D., Joan Brown, M.Ed., Richard Shimizu, M.D., Tara Young-Lewis and Thomas Morrissey, J.D.
The board is considering a location for the school, but a decision has not yet been made. “We’ll either be leasing or using modular classrooms,” Winkler said.