TR PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS The Tama-Toledo Christian College Board of Trustees introduced in a information launch final week that it has signed a lease for the vacant former St. Patrick, pictured, situated at 600 Oswego St. in Tama.
TAMA – Tama-Toledo's new non-public Ok-8 Christian faculty moved one step nearer to an anticipated August 2025 opening with the signing of a lease.
The accredited Christian faculty's board of trustees introduced in a information launch final week that it has signed a lease for the vacant, former St. Patrick's Catholic Church at 600 Oswego St. in Tama.
A lease was signed with the constructing's new house owners, VLS Actual Property, which is owned/managed by Eric Slagle, who can be a contractor on the undertaking.
In line with the press launch, the reconstruction of the vacated constructing has already begun, beginning with the demolition of the inside.
“The inside shall be constructed with a two-story plan for school rooms in two phases,” the report mentioned. “The primary section will final. [four] school rooms on the first flooring together with an administrative workplace, assembly room, trainer's lounge and vaulted worship area for college assemblies. There may be additionally area for an artwork room or library.”
The press launch goes on to say that the primary section will accommodate as much as 120 college students in grades Ok-8, whereas the second section will “add extra classroom area on the second flooring, permitting for as much as 160 college students” and meet “all Individuals with Disabilities Act necessities for the varsity.” ”
After preliminary renovations are accomplished, Tama-Toledo Christian College plans to take over the constructing in Might 2025.
“Many options from the unique church shall be retained so as to add religious and historic significance to the constructing,” the press launch continues. “The unique bell within the belfry will stay useful and there shall be an ADA compliant elevator within the tower.
“The carved picket chancel railing shall be relocated from the west finish of the constructing to the east finish overlooking the worship area. The remaining stained glass home windows shall be moved alongside the south wall.'
Chairman of the board Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Montour) instructed TR in an e-mail that his board plans to rent three full-time lecturers for the primary yr of operation (relying on enrollment) whereas additionally hiring a part-time trainer for particular space courses. together with artwork, music and bodily training.
When requested what number of households and/or college students have utilized to the varsity, Fisher mentioned the method has not but begun, however curiosity is rising.
“We aren’t but on the stage the place we’re enrolling college students. That can most likely begin in 2025 and we could request a letter of intent later in 2024,” he mentioned. “We’ve got a number of households which have proven loads of curiosity, some with a agency dedication. We additionally had households who would have signed up if we might have began earlier.”
In line with Fisher, all of the events thus far are from the Tama-Toledo space.
Iowa DOE Releases ESA Voucher Numbers
Final week, the Iowa Division of Training introduced licensed enrollment numbers for 2023-24 for each public and accredited private faculty districts. The info launch additionally contains Training Financial savings Account (ESA) voucher numbers.
ESAs had been made accessible for the primary time this yr as a part of the College students First Act, signed into regulation by Governor Kim Reynolds in January 2023.
Tama-Toledo Christian College is one in all 13 new non-public, accredited Christian colleges the Iowa Affiliation of Christian Colleges partnered with final yr within the months following the signing of Iowa's ESA laws, in line with the December publication of the Iowa Affiliation of Christian Colleges.
A complete of 16,757 college students used an ESA at an accredited private faculty as of the October 1, 2023 licensed enrollment date, in line with the Iowa DOE: 2,135 of these college students (a few third) attended a public faculty in the course of the 2022-23 faculty yr, with 3,513 kindergarten college students utilizing an ESA .
The variety of ESA college students by resident faculty district was additionally included within the revealed Iowa DOE knowledge.
In line with the information, each faculty district with a constructing or program in Tama County has at the least one resident pupil receiving ESA this faculty yr.
ESA vouchers are price $7,635 per pupil; for each ESA voucher awarded this yr, the state will in flip award $1,205 to the general public faculty district the place the scholar resides.
For the 2023-24 faculty yr, South Tama County has one ESA pupil; North Tama has one ESA pupil; Gladbrook-Reinbeck has two ESA college students; GMG has one ESA pupil; and Union Neighborhood College District has 13 ESA college students.
Funding for Tama-Toledo Christian College
Whereas the Tama-Toledo Christian College Board plans to fund the varsity's operations with ESA vouchers, fundraising continues for the preliminary $100,000 in start-up prices.
“We’re on the right track for our fundraising objective, assembly all of our must date with zero debt,” Fisher mentioned. “In each space of this endeavor, God has damaged obstacles in our path, together with monetary ones. Once we wanted individuals to roll up their sleeves and get to work, we had been blessed with nice board members who had been keen to do the laborious work to construct this faculty. Once we wanted a constructing, we had been blessed by VLS and Eric (Slagle) to offer it. Once we wanted modifications to the accreditation course of to accommodate new colleges receiving ESA funds, we had been blessed with these modifications.”
Whereas it stays to be seen what number of college students in Tama County Public College Districts will select to make use of an ESA voucher to attend Tama-Toledo Christian College, work on the brand new faculty continues in earnest, Fisher mentioned in a information launch.
“The TTCS board members are extremely grateful to Eric [Slagle] and his group at VLS Actual Property for taking over this undertaking… this lease is actually a solution to our prayers for a constructing to deal with this new Christian faculty for the Tama-Toledo space,” he mentioned. “It has room for us to develop over time and can preserve a heat and welcoming area for youngsters to really feel God's presence round them as they be taught.”
