A new Midtown charter school opening this fall announced today it has a location. Citizens of the World Kansas City Charter School said it has entered into negotiations  for the building at the northeast corner of Armour and Broadway.

The school will open this fall, with up to 288 K-1 students the first year and expand to add more grades in the future. CWCKC says it will focus on providing an economically, culturally, and racially diverse student population with a challenging academic program.

Kansas City Life said it was not actively trying to sell the building, but when they learned the charter school was interested in the site, the company wanted to get involved.

“We are proud to offer our support to Citizens of the World Schools,” said Kansas City Life President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Philip Bixby, in a news release. “We believe this new school will strengthen our Midtown community and encourage parents to stay and raise their children in this neighborhood because they have more quality education options.”

“Our home office has been in the Midtown neighborhood for more than 90 years,” Bixby said. “We are committed to this area and efforts to improve the quality of life for families who live here. And, having a school in the neighborhood certainly adds to the vibrancy of the entire community.”

Citizens of the World says the building is being renovated to include both classrooms and  spaces where students and teachers can come together in small groups.

“We are thrilled that CWCKC has found a new campus that is being designed specifically for the success and growth of our children,” said Kristin Littrell, co-leader of the Midtown Community School Initiative, a group that solicited charter schools to come to Midtown, resulting the Citizens of the World deciding to locate here. “We believe our new campus will encourage more families to live and stay in Midtown by offering them an accessible, high-quality school, focused on bringing together our community.”

The facility is being financed through nonprofit lender and real estate consultant IFF in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. CWCKC is negotiating a long-term lease with IFF with plans to eventually purchase the facility, according to a news release.

Mar 31st, 2016 – by