Midland Advantage Charter School Opens to 660 Children

Business Wire, August 25, 1999

MIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 1999--

School Director Dr. Laurencio Pena, Trustees of the Midland Advantage Charter School, and representatives of Advantage Schools, Inc. this week launched the Midland Advantage Charter School, a high-performance, state-of-the-art public charter school.

"Our fundamental philosophy is that all children, regardless of their race or income, deserve a world-class education," said Board Chair Melinda Wheatley. "At Midland Advantage Charter School, failure, and even mediocrity, will not be options. We'll stop at nothing short of excellence."

Construction of the school facility cost $2 million, while the School's operating budget over the first five years of operation will exceed $20 million. The school already employs 40 faculty and staff, with plans to grow each subsequent year of operation.

"I'm thrilled about the opportunity to work with the families and children who are enrolled at Midland Advantage Charter School," said School Director Dr. Laurencio Pena. "It is my goal to help create a world-class institution that allows every child to excel. I'm looking forward to a challenging and deeply rewarding year with ever-increasing levels of student achievement and parent satisfaction."

Advantage Schools, Inc., a leading education management company hired by the School's Board of Trustees, will oversee the construction of the new school. Advantage currently manages the New Frontiers Charter School in San Antonio, which began its second year of operation last week serving grades K-6. The company will open additional charter schools in Houston and Dallas in September.

The Midland Advantage Charter School features spacious classrooms, wall-to-wall carpeting, brightly colored walls, pristine restrooms, ample faculty workrooms, and a host of other amenities. In addition to computers linked to the Internet in every classroom, the facility is also equipped with modern security, life safety, information technology, heating, mechanical, and electrical systems.

"We believe that public schools should symbolize to students and their families the best of the adult world and its achievements," said Advantage CEO Steven F. Wilson. "We are proud to join our local partners in building a facility that will stand in sharp contrast to the many neglected and unattractive public school buildings in cities across the country."

The School's Board of Trustees includes: Melinda Wheatley, President of Project Restoration; State Representative Mike Krusee; and Maria Elena Duron, Executive Director of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The Midland Advantage Charter School offers families a distinctive public education alternative for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, and will grow by a grade each year through grade 12. The school will devote attention first and foremost to building a firm academic foundation for all students. Using proven instructional methods like Direct Instruction, teachers will educate students in the classic liberal tradition.

From the first day of kindergarten, every child sets forth on an accelerated learning path. All students will achieve the highest standards in English, math, history and science; study a foreign language starting in the second grade; develop their aesthetic sensibilities; and learn to play a musical instrument.

Advantage Schools is a national leader in the emerging education management industry. Working with local school founders, the company opens and operates new high-performance charter public schools in urban areas nationwide. With the opening of nine new Advantage schools this fall, the number of students enrolled is projected to grow to more than 10,000. In additions to Midland, new schools will open in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Albany, New York; Newark, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Benton Harbor, Michigan.