Group seeks to open school; courses would provide second chance at diploma

A group wants to bring a charter school to Johnson County that would give students who left high school another chance to earn their diplomas.

Goodwill Education Initiatives is interested in establishing a charter school in the next three years. The school would be an Excel center, which offers high school courses and would be open to all local students, but is targeted toward people who have dropped out of high school and want to return, Goodwill Education Initiatives chief operating officer Scott Bess said.

Excel’s courses are taught by licensed high school teachers, and the state-accredited program offers all of the core courses a student needs to graduate. The charter school also provides life coaches who work with students to deal with problems including transportation, housing and debt, Bess said.

The ultimate goal of the coaches is to make the students better problem solvers so that they can face these issues without feeling as though they have to quit high school again, Bess said.

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