GEO Foundation and its 21st Century Charter School @ Gary school board broke ground in Gary, Indiana on the latest of three new GEO charter schools to open this fall. The 30,500 square foot building, constructed by Bouma Corporation, will eventually house a K-12 school. This year, we will serve 300 students from the Gary area. We have more than 100 students on our waiting list. And that is before our building goes up. Just wait to see how many new applicants we receive as the building gets built. Below is a picture of the actual ground breaking.
Gary Mayor King, third from the right, was on hand for the ceremony and delivered a powerful speech in support of charters. Charter schools are not just an educational option, they are a vital part of economic development, he said. He told the audience of more than 50 community leaders and parents, that the jobs at the steel mills are not coming back and that the future is based in an educated workforce. Amen.
The 21st Century Charter School @ Gary is located in the center of downtown, two blocks from City Hall, the City Library is on the Northwest end of the school, the Boys and Girls Club is on the West side of the school, the Convention Center is across the street to the North, and Gary is building a new public housing project on the South side of the school. We are excited to be part of Gary’s revitalization.
Our building will not only house the charter school, but GEO will conduct its state-approved tutoring program and empower parents with their rights and opportunities to school choice and tutoring under President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” policies.