New Palm Springs Charter School Unique Offers Options

PALM SPRINGS – The demand for a charter school education is skyrocketing; President Obama wants more and so do parents. Next year, it will be a little easier to get in to a charter school here in the valley as the first one opens it’s door in Palm Springs.

It was a long time coming, but next year Cielo Vista Elementary School will go from public school to charter school.

“We are extremely excited about this rare opportunity,” says Lynda Lake, Principal at Cielo Vista Elementary School.

Cielo Vista is a top performing school on the cutting edge in teaching and equipment. The change to charter school, gives teachers even more flexibility and creativity.

“We are stepping out of the box, but this opportunity will give us the opportunity to offer things that we couldn’t before,” says Lake.

The school will offer all-day kindergarten, block scheduling, technology, project based learning and a longer school day which gives students tutoring time.

“Every child will have a target area for 45 minutes,” says Lake.

Research and waiting lists prove, many parents want a charter education for their kids. The demand is up 21 percent from last year.

Across the nation, the average charter school has about 372 students; some waiting lists are more than 3 times the size of the actual school. At Cielo Vista, seats are filling up fast.

“We have 500 enrolled and we are in our last 200,” says Lake.

The school will take in 700 students, kindergarten to 6th grade. While this is an exciting time at the school, it will also be very challenging.

“We get less money than public schools do, so we are on an even tighter budget,” says Lake.

Although funds will be low, options, flexibility and anticipation are overflowing.

“We are pushing forward and ready to go,” says Lake.

Cielo Vista Elementary School is currently enrolling students for next year. For information, visit http://www.psusd.k12.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=73 or call the school at (760) 416-8250.