McKinney’s Imagine International Academy receives state charter

by PegNews wire

Scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, the school will feature the International Baccalaureate curriculum, Spanish language instruction beginning in Kindergarten, leadership skills, and an emphasis on citizenship.

The Imagine International Academy of North Texas is proud to announce that Texas State Board of Education members awarded it with the first out of only eight remaining charters left to be granted under the current state cap of 215 during their meeting held on Friday, November 21.

The Committee on School Initiatives, the sub-committee of the State Board of Education responsible for charter selection, said they would begin the process by announcing the strongest candidate out of the 16 eligible applicants. Committee members stated that the high application scores, solid performance during the interview stage, and the unprecedented level of community support, all combined to make the Imagine International Academy of North Texas their top pick for a charter during this highly competitive cycle.

In attendance for the announcements in Austin, School Development Director Julia Brady said “We are ecstatic that the State Board of Education recognized and appreciated the overall strength of our application and have now enabled us to bring an innovative choice in public education for families in Collin County.”

Charters were to have been awarded at an earlier State Board of Education meeting in September 2008, but had to be postponed by over two months due to delays caused by Hurricane Ike. “We began this process around a kitchen table well over two years ago and while the waiting for a final decision seemed interminable, the outcome has made it all worthwhile,” said Nancy Intrator, a member of the school’s founding group.

The Imagine International Academy of North Texas will be a public tuition-free K-12 school of choice serving residents of Allen, Celina, Frisco, Lovejoy, Princeton, Prosper, McKinney, and Melissa independent school districts. The school plans to open with grades K-8 serving approximately 100 students per grade and adding one additional grade each year.

Source: Imagine International Academy of North Texas