BOB HOPE SCHOOL — Expanding our commitment to excellence and providing education to communities in need – Port Arthur News

Since fall 2010, when the first Bob Hope School opened in Port Arthur, our charter school system has grown exponentially, from one campus with 250 students to five campuses with 2,500 students. It has grown to .

Consistent with our mission, our schools are located in high-need areas where better public school options are desperately needed.

Given the success and impact of our school and the needs of local families, we want to ensure that more students have access to the life-changing opportunities provided by Bob Hope School.

Based on a detailed analysis of community needs and the severe lack of quality public school options, our Board approved an expansion plan to open four new campuses in East Harris County.

We need help to make this plan a reality. Once a Bob Hope School opens and is fully enrolled, most of its operating costs will be covered by public funds, but Texas has minimal state funding for charter school facilities, making it difficult to start new schools. We rely on private funds to raise our prices.

Expanding Excellence is a $25.5 million capital campaign that will fund Bob Hope Schools' expansion plan, which will create 3,360 new seats in high-quality schools in East Harris County. By 2029, she expects to be able to serve 6,260 students across Jefferson and Harris counties.

In 2022, we began a strategic planning process that included exploring several potential communities for future expansion. We looked at the performance of traditional public and charter schools, as well as area demographics by ZIP code.

This allowed us to focus on communities that meet criteria such as concentrations of poverty, increased or growing numbers of children, and prevalence of low-performing schools.

Based on a review of needs and opportunities, we selected specific communities in eastern Harris County as the focus of our expansion efforts.

• BHS Baytown Elementary and Middle School – The elementary school will open in August 2023 with grades 3 through 2, then grades 3 through 5 will be added in subsequent years, and the middle school is scheduled to open in August 2027.
• BHS Pasadena Elementary and Middle School – The elementary school will open in August 2025 with grades 3 through 2, with plans to add grades 3 through 5 in subsequent years. The middle school is scheduled to open in August 2029.
• BHS Channelview Elementary and Middle School – This campus is scheduled to open in August 2027.and
• BHS Deer Park Elementary and Middle School – The main campus is scheduled to open in August 2029.

The total cost to implement the East Harris County expansion plan, Expanding Excellence, is $45 million and will launch a $25.5 million capital campaign to raise needed philanthropic support.

The remaining $19.5 million will come from public funds, cash reserves and loans.

Thanks to innovative gifts from Mackenzie Scott and the Houston Charter Seed Fund, we have secured $7 million in commitments to date.

The Seed Fund is the culmination of gifts from the Brown Foundation, Houston Endowment, Dovetail Impact Foundation, Greater Houston Community Foundation and others to support the growth of charter schools specifically in the Houston area.

If you would like to inquire about Expanding Excellence, please contact Kelsey.Borza@BobHopeSchool.org.

Kelsey Borza is the endowment developer for Bob Hope Schools. You can contact her at 409-983-3244, ext. 566 or Kelsey.Borza@BobHopeSchool.org.