Winter 2014 ASTEC Comet Newsletter Winter 2014 | Page 6

6 The ASTEC Comet Winter 2014 Innovation in Education ASTEC Charter Schools Plan for New Campus, New Facilities In•no•va•tion: the introduction of something new The board of directors of ASTEC Fund, Inc., on behalf of ASTEC Charter Schools, has mounted an ambitious capital campaign that seeks $15 million in private charitable support for the purpose of building three new public charter schools that serve more than 1,200 pre-K-12 students, on a 20-acre tract of undeveloped land in central Oklahoma City that will serve as a model educational campus environment unlike any public school setting in the country today. The overall campus cost is an estimated $35 million; long-term private and government financing options for this type school construction will be added to what is raised through charitable donations to help bring the project to fruition. This is a “big-dream” metamorphosis type project, not unlike the city’s highly successful MAPS educational facilities enhancement program that has revitalized schools throughout the district. But this project is not just about bricks and mortar; it is about creating an environment that accommodates and maximizes the way people actually study and learn best. Imagine if you will an educational oasis in the heart of Oklahoma City that brings students, their families, teachers, and community members together in a setting that has the potential for positively transforming the lives of all who experience it, and that results in “