This week we had some dialogue about finances, curriculum, and administration. We also chose a template name for our school: Education Cooperative (EdCo), which will most likely be modified by location once that has been chosen.
We were all quite busy over the week, so our dialogue was mostly focused on decisions made in Monday's class and will continue for Week 4. In our original brainstorming about the curriculum, we had mentioned a focus on the outdoors and sustainability. In light of the class decision to grant each school up to 3200 acres of land, we will definitely incorporate gardening and other outdoor activities. We feel that learning in and about the outdoors can only benefit our students. As we move forward with a more definite daily schedule, we will build in outdoor time.
We have decided that due to financial concerns, we will need to charge tuition for our students, but we have not yet discussed how much it will be and what financial aid might be available. We plan to research costs of comparable existing schools in order to create a budget.
Our dialogue regarding the administration focused on transparency and student involvement. We are still considering where transparency might not be appropriate and to what extent students should be involved in administrative decisions.
Similarly to your group, our group has decided to include a focus on the outdoors. Because of that, we are looking for a location with great scenery/views, so we are looking at property in Colorado Springs. I'm curious to know where you guys will decide to build your school. Our group is also undecided on a final name. We are thinking about charging students a tuition similar to Poly's so we will have some money to work with.
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