By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A new private school has opened in Tucson, founded by a former Tucson Unified School District principal who says the public school system is failing too many students.
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Ubuntu Academies, located at East 22nd Street and South Kolb Road, launched this week with around 20 founding families. Founder Dr. Tonya Strozier, who was also the Director of African American Student Services in TUSD, said the school is designed for students who do not thrive in traditional classroom settings.
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“Seeing the amount of kids that were failing, the students that were looked over, the students who didn’t get what they need — students needed more,” Dr. Strozier said.
Jenara Rivera, a K-5 teacher at Ubuntu Academies with 25 years of experience — mostly in public schools — said the traditional model left her feeling constrained.
“Every student has to learn the same way with the same curriculum,” Rivera said. “It felt — goodness — like I wasn’t doing right by the child or myself because I knew that I could do better for them.”
School is open to all, with scholarships available
Ubuntu Academies costs $8,000 to $9,000 per year. Dr. Strozier said scholarships are available and some families pay little to nothing. The school keeps class sizes small, and Dr. Strozier said she hopes to double enrollment from its current 20 founding families.
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Dr. Strozier said the school can serve students who fall outside the mainstream.
“It’s really the students that don’t fit into this one-size-fits-all methodology,” she said.
Dr. Strozier said she sometimes compares herself to the biblical figure Noah — building the Ark before it rains.
“Like I’m designing something that maybe some people don’t recognize they need, but I’m telling you — you will need an Ubuntu in the very near future,” she said.
Ubuntu Academies is still enrolling students.
Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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