8 The ASTEC Comet Winter 2014
And because they hold a charter school designation, ASTEC
Charter Schools
•Receive 25 percent less funding from the Oklahoma State
Department of Education than do their public school
counterparts;
•Do not receive the benefits of ad valorem tax; and
•Are not eligible to participate in the Oklahoma City
Public Schools bus transportation system.
By constructing a new campus that is owned by ASTEC Fund,
Inc., ASTEC Charter Schools will no longer have to pay costly
facility leases, and the savings in real dollars can be used to
improve the educational product the schools deliver to its
student body.
limitations including a lack of indoor and outdoor spaces that
foster a variety of different group activities — assemblies, ceremonies, performances and athletic events, as examples — that
are highly beneficial to learners and teachers alike.
For example, there is currently no auditorium, gymnasium, or
space for sports fields or outdoor exercise activities. Students
are bused on the hour to and from an offsite rented church
gymnasium for physical education and team sports.
The existing cafeteria is quite small and requires that users rotate on the half hour to accommodate the schools’ 750-person
student body and 70 faculty and staff members.
Last but not least is the issue of heavy traffic and tight
parking at Shepherd Mall, which conflicts daily with parents
A Seamless Educational Experience
dropping off and picking up children. The mall’s parking lot
is often full, so there is limited automobile idling and turnThe anticipated benefits to learners of a new campus are huge.
arounds for parents and these problems are exacerbated by
Currently, ASTEC Charter
nearby non-school traffic from the
Middle School receives its
An educated workforce leads to better business
Walmart Neighborhood Marketsixth grade students from a recruitment and expansion and is key for Greater
anchored strip mall next door.
variety of area elementary
Oklahoma City’s bright future. A strong education
In contrast, the new campus will
schools and many of them
system plays a large role in our city’s ability to
feature
do not perform at grade lev- recruit new residents. Strong public schools pro•An auditorium for events and
el upon their arrival. It can vide quality educations for our children, as well as
performances,
take months or even years to prepare a qualified workforce for our city’s future.
•A multi-sport gymnasium,
advance a student in areas
—Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
•Outdoor sports venues, and
that range from reading
•A community garden.
to mathematics and from
science to technology.
These features will help make the campus a tremendous resource not only for students but for the community at large in
Constructing an elementary school that has the capacity for
a part of the city that lacks these type amenities and educaserving 600 inner-city Oklahoma City children will
tional and cultural access opportunities. In addition, the cam•Provide students with a head start on their educational
pus will feature a user-friendly automobile drop-off and pick-up
journey;
thoroughfare that is both efficient and safe.
•Establish a seamless K-12 educational experience; and
•Deliver students to middle and high school teachers who
The new campus is designed to accommodate the way peoare performing at or above grade level because they began
ple actually study and learn. The environment will foster a
their educational pursuit at ASTEC Charter Elementary
collegiate atmosphere and real-world experience that inner-city
School.
students would otherwise miss. Common gathering areas are
designed to give students the feel, structure and responsibilAn Enhanced Educational Experience
ity found on college campuses, from a supply store run by
The schools’ current location in a converted shopping mall
students to a food court that features healthy dining options.
that is primarily filled with government offices has many
And the experience will not just be architectural. It will be
reinforced by faculty from Oklahoma State University-OklaAn overhead view of the new ASTEC Charter Schools Campus.
homa City (OSU-OKC) teaching
Schematic designs by Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C.
concurrent college-level classes alongside ASTEC Charter Schools’ faculty.
When used elsewhere in the U.S.,
this model has proven to markedly
increase students’ college entrance
and completion rates.
Healthier Students / A
Healthier Community
The state of Oklahoma and the city
of Oklahoma City often rank poorly
on health, wellness and exercise indices when compared to other states or
similarly-sized cities.
Typically, low-income residents have
the poorest health outcomes and