Plans for a new middle school in Brighton for a charter district that is stretching to the limits of its current capacity have been approved.

The Charyl Stockwell Academy’s Board of Directors, Thursday afternoon, approved the opening of a new middle school on Karl Greimel Drive, across the street from the Preparatory Academy building where middle school and high school students currently both attend. CSPA Principal and District Executive Director Steven Beyer said they were running out of room, having the two schools together. He said they’ve “simply outgrown the space. The current site is just too small.” By moving across the street, with the high school in one building and the middle school in another, Beyer says it will give a “full campus feel for our students, and that the current “building could not accommodate the continued growth we’ve had.”

The new middle school will be located in the building currently occupied by Dr. Mo’s, (pictured) and will be redesigned, renovated, and added on to. A new gymnasium will be built with an elevated track, fitting to MHSAA regulations. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools only receive per-pupil funding from the state and can't issue bonds or request millages for buildings. As a result, the district is partnering with Brighton-based Stone Ridge Office, LLC, led by Mike Corrigan, to develop what will be the 41,000 square-foot facility.

This new campus will help fulfill the vision of district-founder Chuck Stockwell, whose goal of 1,400 students he believes is large enough to provide comprehensive programming, while remaining small enough to offer a private-school atmosphere that nurtures positive relationships between students, teacher, and parents. They currently have just over 1,100 enrolled students between the Prep Academy in Brighton, and the Elementary School in Hartland.

Beyer said that he believes it is “a great time for the CSA district to be able to expand and meet the needs of our students,” and that it “does so in a cost-effective way that meets our innovative, instructional approach. We’ve been really tight here, as people know, and now we will have the space needed to continue offering excellent educational experiences for our young people.”

Work on the new middle school will begin this fall, and will be ready to open in August of 2020. (MK)

Picture courtesy of Google Street View