KANSAS CITY, Mo – The Midtown Community School Initiative has announced a partnership with Citizens of the World to bring a charter school to the midtown area of Kansas City.
Citizens of the World has built and produced charter schools throughout the U.S. Parents would apply for admission. If there is an abundance of applicants, there will be a lottery system.
Midtown Initiative member Kristen Littrell said the plan for the school is to start with just a kindergarten and first grade class and then expand to include at least grades kindergarten through eight.
Littrell said the Midtown Initiative and Citizens of the World have yet to apply for a charter from the state and do not have a sponsor. There are other charter schools in Kansas City, whose sponsors include the University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Central Missouri. No locations have been selected for the school, except that it will be located in midtown Kansas City.
The Midtown Community School Initiative was founded by a group of parents who wanted to get better schools for their children.
“We grew wary of everybody asking us about schools,” Littrell said.
A potential midtown charter school would be unique because it would serve an economically diverse population, Littrell said. Other Kansas City charter schools cater to low-income students. Midtown varies from $500,000 homes to low-income housing.
Midtown falls into the Kansas City Public School District. Littrell said the district has encouraged the project. Currently the Kansas City Public School District is unaccredited.
