ROGERS -- Plans for an expansion of Haas Hall Academy into the old Lane Hotel would bring more than 350 seventh-graders through sophomores into the city's downtown, starting in the next school year.
Martin Schoppmeyer, founder and superintendent of Haas Hall Academy, announced Wednesday he filed plans with the Arkansas Department of Education to request a campus in Rogers. The state Charter Authorizing Panel will consider the proposal in a hearing set for Oct. 19, Schoppmeyer said.
Haas Hall history
• Charter school for students in seventh through 12th grade
• Started in Farmington in 2004
• Moved to Fayetteville in 2009
• Moved to new Fayetteville location in 2015
• Added Bentonville location in 2015
— Staff Report
Demographics of Haas Hall Academy
Fayetteville campus
Student group•Number
Asian•36
Black•4
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander•2
Hispanic•24
American Indian•4
Two or more races•18
White•265
Total•353
•••
Bentonville campus
Student group•Number
Asian•43
Black•6
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander•0
Hispanic•28
American Indian•6
Two or more races•14
White•221
Total•318
Source: Haas Hall Academy
Asian
The application asks for a cap of 500 students in the seventh through 12th grades. Juniors and seniors would be added in subsequent school years, Schoppmeyer said.
If approved by state officials, Haas Hall Academy would expand from two campuses to four in August 2017. Haas Hall has two charters, one for its Fayetteville campus and a second for its Bentonville campus The state this summer approved a request for the Fayetteville charter to open a Springdale site in The Jones Center in August 2017. The proposed Rogers campus would be the fourth site and an expansion of the Fayetteville campus.
"An opportunity came," Schoppmeyer said. "It is in a centrally located area where there are lots of neighborhoods."
The location offers the opportunity for students to walk or bicycle to school, Schoppmeyer said. The site is near an Ozark Regional Transit stop.
The addition of Haas Hall would give Rogers families access to four public high schools within reach of downtown, Mayor Greg Hines said. Arkansas Arts Academy High School is one-third of a mile away from the old hotel at 121 W. Poplar St. Heritage High School is one-eighth of a mile away. New Technology High School is about two miles to the south.
"One of the key components that I'm very passionate about with respect to the downtown plan is promoting more people to live downtown and to develop and redevelop some of the areas in and around downtown," Hines said. "I think it will drive people's decision to want to live in Rogers and in downtown Rogers."
Conversations began several years ago about revitalizing downtown, Hines said. Those conversations led to a downtown plan and establishing zoning specifically for the region that stretches from West Hudson Road to West Olrich Street and from 13th Street to areas around Lake Atalanta.
Hines thinks Haas Hall is a good fit for the former hotel, the tallest building in downtown Rogers.
The 42,000-square-foot hotel was built in 1928 and has stood vacant since 2003. Aviator Amelia Earhart, boxer Jack Dempsey and actor Errol Flynn were among the guests to stay in the Spanish Colonial design, according to city historical records. The building became a retirement home in 1967 and then an assisted living center in 1999 before closing in 2003. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"I think it creates an environment where we can serve the talents and interests of anyone in Northwest Arkansas that's a high school-age student," Hines said.
Schoppmeyer said he has discussed his plans with Rogers school Superintendent Marlin Berry, wants to work in partnership with the district and thinks the organizations can learn from each other. Rogers school officials didn't respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
"I think it's great for everybody," Schoppmeyer said. "It expands people's choices in a free public education."
The opening would make two of the longest running charter schools in Northwest Arkansas neighbors. Arkansas Arts Academy High School Principal Barb Padgett has known Schoppmeyer for 10 years and said the two have a "great working relationship." While both schools focus on preparing students for college, Arkansas Arts Academy focuses more on fine arts.
"We are delighted to hear the news they will be coming this direction," Padgett said.
Haas Hall will offer its college preparatory program focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics at the Rogers location, he said. He thinks of the schools as giving students options instead of the schools being in a competition.
"It's not about the school," Schoppmeyer said. "It's about the opportunities for the students."
The announcement solves a mystery about plans for a school in downtown Rogers that emerged when plans for the five-story Lane Hotel were submitted to the Rogers Historic District Commission in June titled, "Renovations to the Lane Hotel for an Educational Option." At the time, John T. Mack of J.K.J. Architects of Rogers wouldn't discuss details of the school.
The Lane Hotel was purchased in 2015 by KLS Leasing of Delaware, a company affiliated with the Walton Family Foundation.
The company is leasing the Lane Hotel to Haas Hall, said Luis Gonzalez, a spokesman for the foundation.
"This expansion would give the diverse population in Rogers access to a high-performing school in a walkable downtown," Gonzalez said.
Classrooms would take up the building's top three floors. The second floor would include offices and dining areas, according to the plans. First floor plans provide for an art area, a teacher's center and a music room.
NW News on 09/22/2016