Grant to let eSTEM train staff to lead
ESTEM Public Charter Schools Inc., has been selected by the Arkansas Public School Resource Center to receive a grant that will enable two of the charter school system's current employees to prepare for jobs as charter school directors.
Johnecia Howard will be one of the two fellows in the resource center's Charter Leadership Institute. As a fellow, she will work as an apprentice to Ruthie Walls, the eSTEM High Public Charter School director.
Jarrod DuPriest will be the other fellow and will assume many of the duties of the school's dean of staff.
The resource center designed the charter leadership institute to support the development of high-quality charter school networks.
The Arkansas Public School Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that supports charter schools and rural school districts in Arkansas.
New schools drive eSTEM staff boost
ESTEM Public Charter Schools Inc., a charter school management organization for three downtown Little Rock schools, is expanding its staff to accommodate planning for new schools and for as many as 5,000 students by 2025.
Cindy Barton, who has been the director of kindergarten-through-eighth-grade education for the eSTEM Elementary and Middle Public charter schools, will become the chief operating officer for the management organization, said John Bacon, eSTEM's chief executive officer. Jessi Forster, dean of staff, will replace Barton in the director's job.
Bryan Swymn, eSTEM's director of teaching and learning, will join the senior management team as chief academic officer. He will continue overseeing curriculum and instruction alignment in his new job.
The charter management organization is receiving a grant of $1,713,852 from the Walton Family Foundation to be used over three years for organization staffing -- which is likely to include at least one more position -- and the employment of consultants, Bacon said.
Bacon and leaders from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced plans Monday to partner to establish a high school program for as many as 1,500 ninth-through-12th-graders on the university campus, starting in 2017-18. The eSTEM system leaders are also seeking sites for as many as two more kindergarten-through-eighth-grade schools in addition to the current elementary and middle schools at Third and Louisiana streets in downtown Little Rock.
Metro on 08/19/2015