Charter school to share AIC space

The Vail School District, in an effort to offer parents and students an alternative to bussing their children to Tucson-area high schools, is establishing a charter school at the UA's Science and Technology Park, 9000 S. Rita Road.

The new school, which is scheduled to open by the first day of school, Aug. 18, will be the first high school in the school district, said Debbie D'Amore, a Vail school district administrator. Vail is located southeast of Tucson, near the Science and Tech nology Park.

The charter school, whose curriculum will be largely computer based, will share building space with Arizona International Campus, located at Interstate 10 and South Rita Road.

Approximately 10,000-square-feet of office space in the building is being remodeled into classroom space to accommodate the new school, said Vail's superintendent Calvin Baker.

The construction will cost about $50,000, Baker said. The money will be paid out of state funds the school district received to create a charter school.

In a 1995 town hall meeting, 200 parents and students living in the Vail area expressed interest to the Vail School Board in establishing an alternative high school for local students. Vail School District's governing board approved the charter last March , Baker said.

The board decided to cap enrollment at 100 students for the 1997-98 school year. A long waiting list for potential students began a month later, D'Amore said.

Currently, 500 Vail-area students are "tuitioned" out to Tucson and Sahuarita Unified School Districts, but now Vail will get 100 students back, D'Amore said.

Baker describes the new school as a public school with many private school characteristics. Unlike most public schools, parents will have the choice of where to send their children.

The unique size of the school is also a plus, Baker said, because students and parents can enjoy an atmosphere where they are known and where they can make a difference.

Students will receive much of their education from a computer, D'Amore said. Traditional teacher-led classes will be combined with classes designed for one-on-one or small group instruction, Baker said.

The school will start with three full-time teachers and hire several part-time teachers that specialize in a certain subject, he said.

The charter school also offers the unique situation of being located in the Science and Technology Park with AIC and many technology-based companies like IBM and Hughes Missile Systems Co., Baker said.

"The location of the school is going to create excellent opportunities for our students," he said. "The environment is completely different from a traditional high school environment as most people there will be professionals on their way to work."

AIC's executive vice president and provost, Celestino Fernandez, said that besides sharing building space, including the cafeteria that serves AIC and the companies in the park, administrators from Vail and AIC are exploring the possibility of sharing res ources and classroom space.

Baker said this includes the opportunity for upper-level students to qualify to take courses from AIC for college credit.

Fernandez said AIC will also look to recruit potential students from the neighboring high school.

"It is a very natural relationship. It should be a smooth transition for students to come to AIC because they will know the classes and the faculty well," Fernandez said. "We envision a very positive and long-term relationship with them."

While the school is being remodeled, D'Amore and other Vail administrators are working on the details of starting the new school, from adopting computer software for the curriculum to establishing a dress code.