Front Page - KIPP Stand Academy Shingle Creek site - KIPP Stand Academy moving into Shingle Creek site

It’s true, the long wait is finally over! After sitting vacant for seven years, the Shingle Creek Elementary School building has a new owner and a new purpose. KIPP Stand Academy announced it’s moving to their new campus at the 5034 Oliver Ave. N site this summer. This building, formerly Shingle Creek Elementary School, was closed by Minneapolis Public Schools in 2007. The District approved sale of the vacant property this past fall to the Minnetonka Funding Group (MFG) with the caveat that it lease the property to an approved school partner.

  KIPP Stand Academy is a public charter middle school that prepares students from underserved communities to succeed at rigorous high schools and to earn a college degree. The school currently serves 200 students in grades 5-8, 98 percent of whom are students of color and 92 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch aid. The Carlson Family Foundation led a broad coalition to launch KIPP Minnesota to address the racial and economic achievement gaps in the Twin Cities’ public schools.

  KIPP Stand Academy staff, students and families are eager to move to a campus that offers: A safe school facility located in a neighborhood with access to a large park; room to expand the middle school to full enrollment of 400 students and add an elementary school in Fall 2016; a location that serves the 79 percent of KIPP students who live in Minneapolis as well as the 15 percent of students who come from northern suburbs; and a cost-effective, five-year lease for this free, open-enrollment middle school.

  KIPP Stand Academy’s Principal Alvin Abraham said, “We are so excited to move to a Northern Minneapolis campus that supports our growth plans. There is a lot of renovation needed by July. We look forward to working with the new property owner, MFG, as well as with our new neighbors in Shingle Creek, to expedite this process.” Board Chair Beth Finch added, “After reviewing 98 properties in the past year, we are relieved to have found a new Minneapolis campus. The search was an arduous and time consuming task; the lack of suitable facilities is a common frustration for charter schools and state law currently prohibits charter schools from owning properties. We now look forward to returning our full attention to teaching, learning, and changing life trajectories for underserved students through an outstanding education.”

  “SCNA [Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association] can’t believe it will be a year to the month since we had our community dialogue with School Board member Ms. Ellison, Mr. Bollinger, and CM Johnson to discuss potential future options regarding the Shingle Creek Elementary school building, and that KIPP Academy will be moving in and become a new neighbor!” stated SCNA Chair Pam Owens. “We are grateful to all those that were instrumental in getting this important decision and transaction approved. We look forward to meeting and working with our “new neighbors” and moving forward with this new chapter of the Shingle Creek Elementary school as a potential new asset in our community. Be watching for details about an upcoming community meeting to meet our new neighbors in the next newsletter.”

For more info about KIPP contact Director of Development Alison Ford Balan at ABalan@kippminnesota.org or 585-733-9893, or visit kippminnesota.org.