Located in a 5,000-square-foot space that was previously used as mall storage, the Simon Youth Academy at Katy Mills will contain four flexible-space classrooms and is expected to host 50-60 students when it opens this fall.[/caption]

Construction has started on a new high school dropout academy inside Katy Mills, a facility that will be managed in cooperation with Katy ISD, official said.

Jay Kenworthy, communications director for the Simon Youth Foundation, said the foundation—part of the Simon Property Group, and owner of Katy Mills—specializes in dropout recovery and prevention. The foundation is constructing the new campus in collaboration with KISD and will offer classes for students who have dropped out of KISD schools, he said.

In addition to the campus inside Katy Mills, KISD’s Martha Raines High School will also become part of the foundation’s network of what will be 28 programs in 12 states, Kenworthy said.

Kenworthy said the foundation, which opened its first location at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio, has a goal to become a key resource within the rapidly growing Katy area.

“When a community grows, new challenges emerge with the student population you’re trying to educate,” Kenworthy said. “So, any way that we can be a part of the solution, we’re happy to.”

Kenworthy said the foundation will follow its typical business model of covering the construction costs and providing the facility rent-free. KISD will staff the school and provide the curriculum.

Heather DeVries, a dropout prevention, intervention and recovery coordinator at KISD, has been tabbed as the academy’s coordinator.

DeVries said the 5,000-square-foot space—which previously served as a mall storage area—will be equipped with four classrooms that can be reconfigured in a variety of ways. It is expected to host 50-60 students this coming school year. Classes will begin in early September with a grand opening set for Sept. 22, she said.

According to DeVries, the curriculum will emphasize post-graduation possibilities and, she said, the district is looking forward to the support it will receive from the foundation, which includes enhancement grants, professional learning opportunities for teachers and student scholarships.

“We already have kind of the groundwork in place,” she said. “What this allows us to do is provide a very unique and innovative option to students. In Katy ISD, we do believe that every child has value, and we want to provide as many opportunities for success as possible.”

Katy Mills General Manager Don Massey said he has been trying to form a collaboration between the foundation, KISD and Katy Mills since he started work in his current role three years ago.

“We have one of the strongest school districts in the Houston area, and knowing their commitment to students and thinking outside the box, it showed me as the GM that a partnership with the academy would make sense,” Massey said. “Our school district loses about 1 percent to dropouts, and if we’re able to make an impact on that—any amount—man, we just did something pretty remarkable for our community. Simon created this foundation; it’s a no-brainer if I could bring that foundation to Katy Mills.”