Hope Christian Schools is launching what it is describing as a “multi-million dollar” plan to improve programming for staff and students across its six schools in the southeastern Wisconsin region, according to a press release. Hope Christian School’s Fidelis campus at 4200 W. Douglas Ave. in Milwaukee (Photo courtesy of Google
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Hope Christian School's Fidelis campus at 4200 W. Douglas Ave. in Milwaukee (Photo courtesy of Google Street View)[/caption]
The move, said the Christian voucher school consortium, is in direct response to last year’s increase in per-pupil funding by the state of Wisconsin as part the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program.
The investments will focus on developing strong leaders, expanding opportunities for staff, and expanding student programs, by, among other things, enhancing counseling supports; launching an athletic league; increasing art, music, and STEM opportunities; formalizing career pathways that will guide career advancement and increased earning potential for staff; and by adding two full-time employees to guide faith/character development and data-driven instructional practices.
Efforts to get a more exact spending figure from Hope Christian Schools was unsuccessful on Monday. But the organization said it plans to invest in building consistency and collaboration across the HOPE Christian Schools network, officials said, especially in areas like coaching, data-driven instruction, student culture, and parent engagement. There will also be continued investment in safety, such as facilities upgrades, emergency communication standards, and school security resources.
The news comes about five months after the Hope Christian Schools decided to consolidate its Fortis North and Fortis South campuses in Milwaukee after a student landed in the ICU following an injury during gym class at Fortis North.
Hope Christian Schools currently serve about 2,700 students across five Milwaukee campuses and a single Racine campus.
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Hope Christian Schools - Fortis campus in Milwaukee[/caption]
“The ripple effects of COVID have created major educational challenges for children in cities like Racine and Milwaukee. Historic funding increases for private choice schools by Wisconsin’s elected leaders will allow us to deploy new resources for the children and families we serve,” said Dan Depies, chief operating officer of Open Sky Education and interim regional executive director of Hope Christian Schools. “In response to the needs of our community and the opportunity in front of us, we are proud to launch an initiative aimed at upgrading our current models and creating new ones. We remain committed to student development focused on Christ, college, and character.”
A Waukesha-based nonprofit, Open Sky Education operates six voucher schools in the Milwaukee area, as well as voucher schools in Arizona. The nonprofit also runs Soaring Education Services, which consults people on opening private Christian schools of their own.
Hope Innovate Initiative
In recognition of what the press release described as a “very challenging staffing climate – especially (given the) community’s teacher shortage – and the learning gap that was significantly expanded during COVID,” the organization said Hope Christian Schools will also be launching a new initiative to help address the teacher shortage and accelerate student learning.
Called the “Hope Innovate Initiative,” the effort will focus on “building new models which are at the cutting edge of how teachers teach, and students learn,” the release states. The models are expected to increase flexibility in the role, location, and modality of teaching; increase flexibility in the location, modes, and time of learning; and provide students, parents, and educators with exceptional experiences, the release states.
To drive its Innovate initiative, Hope Christian Schools is creating the “director of Hope Innovate” position. The person in that role will be tasked with exploring “innovations that improve flexibility and experience and can address significant issues holding back Milwaukee education, the consortium said. Those significant issues include student absenteeism and struggles with teacher retention, according to the release.
“After 20 years of impact and growth within our communities, we’re striving to find new ways to utilize flexibility and exceptional experiences in our education models,” said Andrew Neumann, CEO of Open Sky Education. “By dreaming of new, innovative ways to deliver a high-quality education, we believe that we can effectively offer community-based solutions to the challenges that have existed over decades.”