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Principal Steve Aho can cross another item off his to-do list as he works to get the area’s newest school up and running by fall. Copper Island Academy brought on Aho and one other full-time employee late last year to shepherd the institution through the authorization process. Recently, Central Michigan University gave its stamp of approval. Aho says Central is not the only authorizer in the state, but it is the largest.
The authorization process has been operating on a parallel track with setting up an actual facility. The school bought two lots, totaling over 22 acres, at Houghton County Memorial Airport in Hancock and that centralized location should allow Copper Island Academy to attract students from across the area. The goal is to be an alternative, not a rival to any individual school district.
The next step is to begin hiring staff and holding an open enrollment period. Aho says this will most likely be the toughest part of the process, as finding teachers is difficult for everyone right now. If sign-up is robust by parents and students, Copper Island Academy is required to have a procedure in place to determine who is accepted.
Open enrollment will last for two weeks, with the goal to have it sometime in the month of May.
