PINE LAWN — A charter school is coming to the Normandy school district next fall, despite the most organized opposition since the taxpayer-funded schools first opened 20 years ago in St. Louis.
Normandy charter school meets resistance from community leaders
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Mayor of the City of Vinita Park, James McGee, speaks at a press conference on the education of governance crisis in the Normandy school district at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership are opposed to the opening of a charter school in their community. This is the first time that St. Louis elected officials have opposed the opening of a charter school. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Glen Echo Park Mayor Victoria Valle speaks as Beverly Hills Mayor Brian Jackson, left; Vinita Park Mayor James McGee, right; and Mike Jones, a writer for the St. Louis American, far right, listen at a news conference on the governance crisis in the Normandy Schools Collaborative on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership oppose the opening of a charter school in their community. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Mayor of the City of Vinita Park, James McGee, speaks at a press conference on the education of governance crisis in the Normandy school district at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership are opposed to the opening of a charter school in their community. This is the first time that St. Louis elected officials have opposed the opening of a charter school. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Mayor of the City of Beverly Hills, Brian Jackson, right, and mayor of the Village of Glen Echo Park, Victoria Valle, sit behind plexiglass as they listen to the mayor of the city of Vinita Park, James McGee, speak at a press conference on the education of governance crisis in the Normandy school district at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership are opposed to the opening of a charter school in their community. This is the first time that St. Louis elected officials have opposed the opening of a charter school. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Mayor of the Village of Glen Echo Park, Victoria Valle, speaks at a press conference on the education of governance crisis in the Normandy school district at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership are opposed to the opening of a charter school in their community. This is the first time that St. Louis elected officials have opposed the opening of a charter school. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Mayor of the City of Beverly Hills, Brian Jackson, speaks at a press conference on the education of governance crisis in the Normandy school district at Beyond Housing in Pine Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The local mayors of the 24:1 Municipal Partnership are opposed to the opening of a charter school in their community. This is the first time that St. Louis elected officials have opposed the opening of a charter school. Photo by Cheyenne Boone, cboone@post-dispatch.com
Civic leaders don't trust the current district leadership to manage the funds transparently or effectively.
As of this month, 26 students have indicated an intent to enroll at a school projected for 125 students
The Leadership School in Pagedale has 94 students in kindergarten through second grades.
Kimberly Townsend opened The Leadership School in fall 2022 in Pagedale.
North County Innovative School plans to start with 100 students and add a grade each year to reach eighth grade with a total enrollment of 470.
