More on "Math and Science High"

As Battelle and WSU continue to pow-wow about opening a math and science public high school in the Tri-Cities (see 8/28 blog), they look to Metro High as a model.

As this article reports, Metro High, a math and science school in Ohio also started by Battelle, is in its second year. With about 200 students enrolled, the public school has smaller classes and is governed by a group that includes Ohio State deans and school superintendents. Not part of any one school district, teachers come from the 16 districts in Columbus's Franklin County. They work for three years at the school then rotate back to their own district. Why? It's meant to be a teaching school, much like completing your residency in med school.

The curriculum is designed so students finish their high school credits in their first two years. (Now that's rigor!) Their last two years are for internships and college course work.

But right now, the big question the Tri-City team is grappling with is how will a school like Metro be paid for here in Washington?

Metro High Principal Marcy Raymond said it's expected that the dollars school districts get from the state for each student who's enrolled would follow students to the new school. That's how it works at Metro High, anyway. Battelle and Ohio State helped with start-up costs. Officials from the Tri-City group said that money beyond the state funding likely will be needed.

Sean McGrath, development director for the private Tri-Cities Prep Catholic High School in Pasco has had success in getting funds beyond what the state has to offer. "I think what they're going to discover is that (among) more and more of the foundations in the community and nationally there's a trend of financing these kinds of schools," he said.

His school has been successful at getting grants to help pay for a planned expansion. Tri-Cities Prep received $500,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and $192,000 from the Nevada-based E.L. Wiegand Foundation.

"I think they'll find the dollars will come. They'll have to work for it, but people are looking for that kind of school project."

Let's hope so.