Hammond charter school scores state financing

Good News for Hammond!

Hammond charter school scores state financing

Downtown urban academy set to open August 2010
Jeff Burton - jeff.burton@nwi.com, (219) 933-3246
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:45 pm


HAMMOND | A new charter school in the city's downtown district is the latest local beneficiary of the federal stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.

The Indiana Department of Education approved $10 million in interest-free financing for the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology last week, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.'s office reported. The financing is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The academy, a charter school sponsored by Ball State University, is the product of three years of discussions between the city and Purdue University Calumet on ways to improve educational opportunities in Hammond. The new building is set to rise from the rubble of the iconic Masonic Temple building on Muenich Court, currently under demolition.

Quote :

"The project is certainly on a fast-track, and the decision on interest-free funding is another positive development with this project," McDermott said. "The new school is one of a series of projects that the city is working on to bring more people into our downtown area."

Per the terms of its charter, the school is set to open in August 2010, with 550 students in sixth through 12th grades.
http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_9337af9d-1c59-5cba-8444-66d5e48ccd49.html