By NEAL MORTON/The Monitor 2010-08-14 22:08:09
McALLEN — Scores of students, parents and teachers came together 10 years ago hoping for better education. In one week, they exhausted their elbow grease by clearing brush, painting walls and installing ceiling fans and carpet for the first IDEA charter school in Donna. “The intense effort and the huge sacrifice a lot of people in the community made to get this school on its feet is really inspiring,” said Tom Torkelson, founder and CEO of IDEA Public Schools. He and staff, teachers, students and parents devoted to IDEA celebrated its 10th anniversary and a decade of growth and achievement at the McAllen Convention Center on Friday. Since the Donna opening, IDEA has expanded from 100 students to 7,000, from one school to 16 regional campuses and from an annual operating budget of $1.7 million to over $70 million. With a current waiting list nearing 13,000 students, IDEA started with a simple idea, Torkelson said. “The only reason (regular public) schools don’t achieve at higher levels is because the adults in the system have messed it up,” he said. “The biggest thing that holds our kids back is the low expectations the adults have for them.” © Copyright 2010 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Site Map
