Gilroy Prep School founders have been holding their breath for a
major grant to come through from the State of California, and the
answer finally came Monday. GPS leaders, which includes Sharon
Waller, Karen Humber, Kristyn Corley and Eliot Elementary Principal
James Dent, recently received notification their charter has been
approved to receive the Higher Grant Award totaling approximately
$575,000.
Gilroy Prep School founders have been holding their breath for a major grant to come through from the State of California, and the answer finally came Monday.
GPS leaders, which includes Sharon Waller, Karen Humber, Kristyn Corley and Eliot Elementary Principal James Dent, recently received notification their charter has been approved to receive the Higher Grant Award totaling approximately $575,000.
As of March the fledgling charter – set to open in August with all the other schools in the Gilroy Unified School District – had 220 students enrolled for the 2011-12 school year.
During the first year GPS will cater to 60 students in each of the kindergarten, first and second grades. Leaders plan to tack on another grade with each passing year.
Waller, who has been working toward opening a charter in Gilroy for more than 10 years, explained the independently designed format of a charter allows administrators to incorporate innovative curriculums and tailor programs to specific learning needs.
The beauty of a charter, she explained is that it’s a small system, allowing administrators to examine what the essential elements are, then decide what to cut.
“We have the opportunity to provide the model of an efficient, effective education, and it’s got to start somewhere,” she said. “It’s really an opportunity to show that under dire economic circumstances, kids can still receive an excellent education.”
Gilroy Prep School will hold a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the community center of Gilroy Apartments at 500 IOOF Ave.
Leaders will share their progress and provide a forum for new enrollments.
Official enrollment closes March 31. A lottery for grade levels that have 60 or more students enrolled will be held Saturday, April 16.
