Springfield explores Sudbury Schools

Bruce Smith, a staff member with Sudbury Modeled Schools, will present “Re-thinking Education from the Ground Up” at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at Drury University’s Lay Auditorium.

Smith will update the community on the progress of Springfield Sudbury School – an alternative approach to education set to open no later than next fall. The school’s start-up group has begun applying for grants and is searching for an ideal facility just outside the city’s metropolitan area.

The school already has hired a president, Jenny Cahill, who anticipates an initial enrollment of about 15 to 20 students, ages 4–19. The school will hire one staff member per an average of 10 students.

Sudbury Schools emphasizes student responsibility in choosing the direction of each individual’s education by removing established curriculum and standardized tests from the mix. Classes are generated from student interest, and all students and staff members vote on policies, expenditures and staff changes.

“There’s not a lot of options besides traditional methods (in Springfield), and I feel this community needs choices,” Cahill said. “I know a lot of people who want this for their children.”

Tuition for the Springfield school has not been set, but tuition at other Sudbury schools is about $2,500. There are 40 Sudbury schools internationally, and about eight others are in startup phases.