SEMO HAS ANOTHER CHANCE TO BACK CHARTER SCHOOL

With the sponsorship of Southeast Missouri State University, the Lift for Life Academy recently became the first charter school to open in St. Louis. Southeast has the opportunity to expand its involvement in the charter-school experiment by approving another sponsorship request.

The proposed Garden School would open next fall and serve 150 students in five grades with plans for steady growth in following years. It would be located in the Tower Grove neighbored near the Missouri Botanical Garden, which would help with curriculum.

Charter schools are publicly funded but operate free from many state regulations. They provide a much-needed alternative to failing urban public schools.

Southeast's Board of Regents showed it supports an innovative approach in sponsoring the Lift for Life Academy. The board can continue to lead the way for St. Louis charters by sponsoring the Garden School.