HENDERSON (KTNV) — The City of Henderson's first city-authorized charter school is preparing to open its doors in August.
I got a sneak peek inside Kesher Academy as it gets ready to open and spoke to the principal and a parent about what this school will offer and the unique partnership behind it.
"It is very innovative. We're excited to be a part of this venture," said Eve Breier, Founding Principal of Kesher Academy.
Before now, charter schools in Nevada were primarily authorized and overseen by the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority.
But a new state law empowers municipalities to do that now, too, and offer more tailored — but still tuition-free and open to all — public charter school options for their communities.
So far in Southern Nevada, Henderson and North Las Vegas have applied to the state and successfully become charter school authorizers under this new law.
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North Las Vegas has not yet approved any charter school applications. Henderson has approved one — Kesher Academy — which will open in August as Henderson's first city-sponsored charter school.
The founding principal of Kesher Academy tells me they'll offer small class sizes, direct access to school leadership including herself, and a unique Hebrew dual-language program.
"As an administrator, what I love most is connecting with our students, our staff, our families and the community as a whole, and when you're on a smaller scale, it's much easier to be able to do that," Breier said.
"Do you think there's a real appetite among valley families right now for more educational options?" I asked Breier.
"Yes, definitely. There are great schools in the Las Vegas Valley, both in CCSD and charter, but just to give more options and more opportunity for families. And, again, just offering our unique perspective of teaching another language, which also helps to develop cognitive skills from the time our children are 5 years old in kindergarten, really helps their academic development and growth," she replied.
Kesher Academy will initially open as a K-2 school, adding another grade level each year until it reaches K-8.
Seeing a need for more options, local parent Jordan Betten helped spearhead the effort to bring Kesher Academy to life and said he can't wait to send his son there in August.
"When we were looking at schools for him, although he's zoned for a good school, we felt like the ability of having smaller classroom sizes and the fact that we can pick up the phone and speak directly with the principal, the second language immersion component, and the tuition free option — although it's sort of like a private school experience but it's a free education option — was exciting for me as a parent," said Jordan Betten, chairman of the board of Kesher Academy.
"As a parent, I'm very hands-on with my son's education, and I wanted to make sure that he, especially being as young as he is, was in an environment to help him thrive and grow," he went on to say.
Betten added that learning a second language so young can help improve cognitive development in children and can help set them up for success.
"It's exciting for me as a parent to have my son learn a language that has all sorts of uses, but also improves his ability to be more globally connected," Betten said.
The first day of school at Kesher Academy will be August 10. The principal says they still have about 20 or so seats open. Click here to learn more and enroll.
"As a charter school, we do not have any boundaries or any zones to our school. Families can come from anywhere in the valley. We've had families come from Summerlin to tour our campus. As long as we have seats available here, we can enroll our students," Breier said.
You can also email info@kesheracademy.org or call (702) 850-0585 to get directly in touch with the principal.