Up North Progressive

Autumn is a season of changes. The days grow cooler, the leaves change color, and everyone prepares for the coming winter. On rare days when the air is clear and the weather is still pleasant, a drive along country roads to enjoy the color, stop at a farmer’s market to buy pumpkins, apples and fresh brown eggs, or just enjoy the scenery can make the day perfect.

Imagine the Up North Progressive’s joy to find this:

That’s right, a screen-printed canvas stretched over the old grocery store sign on Main Street in Scottville! This is the location of the new for-profit charter school going up in the area, Gateway To Success Academy. Gateway To Success is the brain child of Jamie Bandstra, the former principal of Journey Junior Senior High School.

Recently, a ground breaking ceremony took place at the sight of the old market, officially beginning the transformation of the former Foster’s Market into a for-profit school based on San Diego’s High Tech High. How much progress has been made so far?

Bare studs holding up the roof, with some building material piled on top. It has the look of the skeletal remains of an animal. And then of course there’s the famous portajohn that Gateway To Success Academy’s Facebook page cheered about.

Things are really happening now. Castlebond Enterprises is probably pleased to see the progress being made on the for-profit charter school they will be managing …

Wait a minute? What’s this? Just like the leaves on the trees, there seems to be a change with Gateway To Success’s management.

Here is a screen grab of the Michigan Department of Education listing for Gateway To Success Academy a month ago …

And this is what it looks like now.

In fact, this listing was updated today. What prompted Gateway To Success to make the change from Castlebond Enterprises to “self-managed”? The answer is recorded in the charter school board’s meeting minutes somewhere. Maybe. You do know those are supposed to be posted to the public, right?

Changes in the wind, like falling leaves blown from the trees. Bundle up, it’s getting cold outside.