Options Academy- Des Moines Public Schools | Application Preview
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 42-6001433
Location: Des Moines, IA, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 26-50 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: $100k to $250k
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
The funding would support our transportation program that gets students to and from school. We would also work with an consultant as a staff utilizing the Clifton StrengthsFinder program to support and empower teachers in working with at risk students.
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Business Plan
Options Academy has increased their enrollment each of the last 3 years by 100 students. We have increased the number of students who have graduated from this program by 200 students, and currently have a waiting list of 100+ students from all 6 Des Moines Comprehensive High Schools. We are working to open a secondary site as well as looking for opportunities to expand to serve students from the Des Moines suburbs. These funds will directly impact student achievement in Des Moines. The staff at Options Academy has worked to ensure the community created within the program provides all possible supports for students and eliminates all possible barriers to getting to school. As the administrator of the program, I want to support and empower teachers with strengths based coaching so they can continue to serve students to the best of their abilities. The funding for professional development would be utilized to continue this work with our consultant to provide staff with an expert coach to help us grow. Every transportation dollar would be spent providing rides to school for currently enrolled students. Attendance is the number one barrier in getting kids to school. By providing transportation, we are able to eliminate that barrier for students.
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Self Identified Competition
Our competition currently is the Great Oaks Charter School that recently opened in Des Moines. Students are attending there in a brand new space, not a 70 year old school building. They are targeting students who have dropped out of school. Outside of this charter school, our competition for local funds are all schools within the Des Moines metro area due to decreased funding from state government. Schools are asked to do more with less, and so there are more schools reaching out and looking for grants. Each student who comes to Options Academy gets an individualized graduation pathway. All staff work with students to set academic goals, revisit goals, and then determine what next steps forward are. These are all life skills that set students up to be successful moving forward. All students get multiple chances. We recognize life happens and some students need to take a break for a while, and when that happens, we reach out, check back in, and work to get them back to school as soon as possible.
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Contact Applicant
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