This August, Lindsley Park Community School will open its doors to the first generation of children to attend this new charter school serving the East Dallas area. The Texas Education Agency granted East Dallas Community School, a Montessori school currently in operation, authority to create up to six charter schools under the name Dallas Community Charter Schools. Lindsley Park will be the first campus.

Tom Loew, director of Lindsley Park, explains that the mission of the school will be to provide an excellent educational program for children age three to nine that emphasizes service to low income working families. The school will remain small, with a maximum enrollment of 170 students.

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“Lindsley Park Community School is a public, tuition free, Montessori-based school,” says Tom. “Traditional public schools have been given a mandate to educate children beginning at age 6 or 7. As a Montessori school, we are specifically equipped to deal with young children, ages 3, 4 and 5. We believe that the children who attend Lindsley Park will enter their traditional public school in a much better position to succeed.”

Specifically, Tom points to the fact that many students will be coming from homes where English is not the primary language. He believes that helping these children to become fluent English speakers before they enter the public school system will give them a huge educational advantage. Additionally, because many of the children at Lindsley Park will come from families with working parents, before and after school care will be provided at the facility for a nominal fee.

Lindsley Park Community School will be housed in the former White Rock Community Church, across from Lindsley Park, at 722 Tenison Memorial. A one and a half million dollar renovation of the building is already underway. Like all charter schools, Lindsley Park will receive no state money until it is operational. In the meantime, the start-up costs for the school are being covered by East Dallas Community School. According to Tom, this arrangement sets Lindsley Park apart from other charter schools.

“The majority of charter schools that fail do so for financial reasons,” he explains. “Having the capital necessary to cover start up costs and a facility to house the school gives us a huge advantage.” Utilizing East Dallas Community School as a financial resource means that all money Lindsley Park receives from the state will go directly to the classrooms and other services – not to debt repayment.

Admission to the school is weighted in favor of those living within the area bordered by Beacon, East Grand, and the former Santa Fe Railroad tracks. In addition, priority is given to three and four year olds whose families qualify by income for the federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch program. The school does not receive any funding for three and four year olds who do not qualify for the federal program. Despite this stipulation, Lindsley Park does accept a certain number of non-qualifying students because of its strong commitment to economic diversity. All students five and older receive full funding regardless of family income.

The enrollment period for admission to Lindsley Park Community School ran from January 11 to February 18. At the close of the enrollment period, the school was almost full. Tom expects the school to reach full enrollment when the doors open in August. With five additional charter schools similar to Lindsley Park already approved and on the horizon, the educational future for East Dallas children is looking very bright.