Dallas Leaders Announce Opening of Oak Cliff Charter School; Open House for Interested Families Thursday.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1999--

Community leaders, School Director Michael Salazar, and Trustees of the Dallas Advantage Charter Schoo l today announced plans to open their world-class public school in a temporary facility on September 8, 1999. Construction of the permanent facility is underway, scheduled for completion in late October.

"Our fundamental philosophy is that all children, regardless of race or income, deserve a world-class education," said Board Chair Melinda Wheatley. "At Dallas Advantage Charter School, failure, and even mediocrity, will not be options. We'll stop at nothing short of excellence."

The construction project is budgeted to cost $2 million, while the School's operating budget over the first five years of operation will exceed $20 million. The School already employs 40+ faculty and staff, with plans to grow each subsequent year of operation.

"Children are our most valuable asset, and we support every effort to improve the quality of education in our community, " said Lena Ainley, president of the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce.

Advantage Schools, Inc., a leading education management company hired by the School's Board of Trustees, will oversee the construction of the new school. Advantage currently manages the New Frontiers Charter School in San Antonio, which began its second year of operation last week serving grades K-6. The company will open a similar high-performance charter school in Houston in September, and Midland Advantage Charter School opened yesterday.

The Dallas Advantage Charter School will include spacious classrooms, wall-to-wall carpeting, brightly colored walls, pristine restrooms, ample faculty workrooms, and a host of other amenities. The state-of-the-art facility will include computers in every classroom, security, and life safety systems.

"We believe that public schools should symbolize to students and their families the best of the adult world and its achievements," said Advantage CEO Steven F. Wilson. "We are proud to join our local partners in building a facility that will stand in sharp contrast to the many neglected and unattractive public school buildings in cities across the country."

The School's Board of Trustees includes: Melinda Wheatley, President of Project Restoration; State Representative Mike Krusee; Tim O'Keeffe, Advisor Representative for Sagemark Consulting; and Carol Spencer, President of Cedar Valley College.

The Dallas Advantage Charter School will offer the city's families a distinctive public education alternative for children in kindergarten through fifth grade and will grow by a grade each year through grade 12. The school will devote attention first and foremost to building a firm academic foundation for all students. Using proven instructional methods like Direct Instruction, teachers will educate students in the classic liberal tradition.

From the first day of kindergarten, every child will set forth on an accelerated learning path. All students will achieve the highest standards in English, math, history, and science; study a foreign language starting in the second grade; develop their aesthetic sensibilities; and learn to play a musical instrument.

Interested families are invited to an Open House on Thursday, August 26, from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm at the Student Recruitment office, located at 204 South Zang Street, Suite 102. The Student Recruitment office telephone number is [phone], and the toll-free number is [phone].

Advantage Schools is a national leader in the emerging education management industry. Working with local school founders, the company opens and operates new high-performance charter public schools in urban areas nationwide. With the opening of nine new Advantage schools this fall, the number of students enrolled is projected to grown to more than 10,000. In addition to Dallas, new schools will open in Midland and Houston, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Albany, New York; Newark, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Benton Harbor, Michigan.