A new charter school in the Green Bay Area Public School District is scheduled to open in the fall. Local 5 has more on the school’s mission to meet the needs of a unique student body.

In downtown Green Bay an empty building waits to come back to life, as the new Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation.

“Starting in September 2019 we’re going to be opening the doors to NEW School of Innovation,” said Jason Johnson, the school’s administrator.

Come fall this former home for the Wisconsin Job Center will be filled with students for the NEW School of Innovation and from the John Dewey Academy of Learning, which will also share the building.

“We’re just going to be doing some minor renovation,” said Mike Stangel, facilities director for the school district.  “The idea is to do as much with furnishings to keep the rooms as flexible as possible and to put up as few walls as we must.”

Johnson says the charter school is a proficiency-based program designed to help students who are struggling in the traditional classroom setting.

“We’re going to work with students who have not been successful in the traditional model, to provide additional opportunities and supports for them to become successful in a more hands-on, independent personalized learning path,” said Johnson.

The school will work with students in seventh through ninth grades and high school seniors, with enrollment capped at about 250 students.

“We’re going to identify what their strengths are, because we believe that all students should work from an area of strength,” Johnson said.

Funded through a $900,000 grant the school will partner with NWTC and UW-Green Bay to expose students to fields like health science, manufacturing and information technology.

“This is about finding out what your passion is, what are you interested in, what is out there,” said the educator.

Johnson says it’s all about helping non-traditional students reach their goals in a school that believes in innovation.

The school is accepting applications. You can find a link to the school district’s website here.