OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - The California Department of Education (CDE) awarded Public Charter School "Start-Up" grants to aid the creation of Space Exploration Academy and Junior Space Exploration Academy-two public charter schools focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction.
Each school will receive a grant of $405,000. While this funding ensures a smooth start for the charter schools, additional funding is still needed to acquire and develop state-of-the-art facilities.
Both schools are being developed by the Space School Partnership (SPACESHIP) collaboration between the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, NASA, UC Berkeley, and Space Science Outreach and Research (SSOAR). Space Exploration Academy will serve grades 9 - 12, and Junior Space Exploration Academy will serve grades 6 - 8. The schools will be located in West Oakland and provide public education to 700 students when fully enrolled.
SPACESHIP will formally present both charter school petitions to Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) on November 30. A public hearing is expected at the OUSD Board Meeting on December 14.
Based on the nature of the proposed schools, the strength of the SPACESHIP partners, and the support of the California Department of Education, SPACESHIP does not anticipate difficulty in obtaining OUSD approval for both charter schools. However, SPACESHIP is still soliciting letters, emails, and phone calls of support from the general public. Letters can be mailed to
Space Exploration Academy
2666 Virginia Street, Suite B
Berkeley, CA 94709
Emails can be sent to SPACESHIP@ssoar.org. Phone calls can be directed to the OUSD State Administrator's Office at 510.879.8200
SPACESHIP was established in 2004 for the sole purpose of establishing Space Exploration Academy and Junior Space Exploration Academy. SSOAR is the coordinating organization and will manage the schools when they open in August 2006. SSOAR is a 501c-3 California non-profit organization dedicated to cultural exchange, science literacy, and technological advancement through collaborative projects in science education.
For more information, contact Camron Gorguinpour at 510.649.9314 or by email at Camron@ssoar.org.
