On Friday morning, the crowd cheered when IDEA Public Schools founder and CEO Tom Torkelson cut the ribbon at IDEA South Flores, the newest campus in the charter school network. He was joined on stage by students in uniforms, IDEA South Flores Academy Principal Angie Arismendi, IDEA South Flores College Prep Principal Constantine Polites, Mayor Julián Castro, District 2 City Council Member Ivy Taylor, IDEA Public Schools co-founder and Chief of Schools JoAnn Gama, and Executive Director for the San Antonio region Rolando Posada.
Mayor Castro said that schools like IDEA South Flores are essential to meeting SA2020‘s education goals, including increasing adult educational attainment (goal: by 2020, at least 50% of adults will have a 2- or 4-year college degree) and boosting college enrollment (goal: by 2020, 80% of San Antonio high school graduates will enroll in 2-year, 4-year, or technical colleges). See also SA2020 Indicator Report, June 4, 2013. IDEA Public Schools has a track record of sending nearly all of their graduates to college, as discussed in this earlier post about College Signing Day 2013.
Basketball legend David Robinson, a member of the IDEA Public Schools San Antonio regional board, could not attend the ribbon cutting in person, but recorded this video message:
Read more here: “IDEA Public Schools hosts ribbon cutting and announces San Antonio expansion plans”, Vanessa Barry, IDEA Public Schools news release, September 27, 2013.
This earlier post has details about the invitation to the ribbon cutting, and this earlier post has photos of the campus from just before the first day of school.
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Ribbon cutting photos copyright Mitch Idol.
