Goodwill Donating Building To Charter School
Former factory building would be donated to Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy.
4030 N. 29th St. Image from Google Maps.
People have donated millions of items to Goodwill, and the nonprofit organization is now donating an entire building to a charter school.
Goodwill Industries of Southeast Wisconsin announced this week it will transfer ownership of the one-story, 59,122-square-foot building at 4030 N. 29th St. to the Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy (HFCA).
Goodwill owned the structure, located along W. Capitol Dr., for more than 30 years. It was used as a hub for job placement services and known as Job Center North under a public-private partnership. But Goodwill listed it for sale in 2011 and HFCA began leasing the nearly-windowless facility in 2013.
Long-term the warehouse-like structure could house a middle school and job training facility. HFCA previously announced it expects to spend $5 million on the renovation.
The donation includes a five-year “community impact partnership” where Goodwill and the school will engage students, their families and the surrounding community in “experiences that advance education, employment training and career pipeline opportunities.”
“This investment amplifies Goodwill’s commitment to transforming lives and communities through employment, training and education, and support services,” said Jackie Hallberg, Goodwill President & CEO, in a statement. “Our partnership with HFCA provides a new opportunity for Goodwill to support the workforce of today and invest in the workforce of the future.”
HFCA hopes to move its high school into a new building in fall 2023, though construction has yet to start. The new building would be constructed at 2212-2228 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave., which is a 0.86-acre site just south of W. North Ave. HFCA would construct a four-story building on the site. It would include the first dedicated gymnasium and auditorium for the school.
“A new middle school would enable HCFA staff to reach students earlier and remediate proficiency deficits in the sixth grade instead of the ninth grade,” said Howard Fuller, former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, in a July press release announcing the fundraising campaign. “The goal is for students to be better prepared for higher level courses and dual enrollment in college. Expanding STEM education, including business, technology, and health care career preparation, will help achieve the high school’s vision.”
HFCA was founded in 2003 by Fuller and a group of pastors and was previously known as CEO Leadership Academy and Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. It was previously a private voucher school before transitioning to become a public charter. The school is chartered by the City of Milwaukee.
The charter school boasts a 100% college acceptance rate (but not enrollment) since 2012. A press release from the school notes that it is both Black-governed and Black-led with a focus on closing the achievement gap between Black and white students in Milwaukee.
Fuller, 81, is the board chair emeritus. Michelle Nettles is the current board chair. Milwaukee Public Schools board member Aisha Carr is listed as a board member. Judith Parker is the principal.
The cost of the new school in Bronzeville is expected to be approximately $20 million.
A press release from Goodwill announcing the donation said the nonprofit has owned the facility since 1990, but city assessment records and historical newspaper accounts indicate Goodwill acquired the property in 1985. A 1989 Milwaukee Sentinel article details how then-Governor Tommy Thompson visited the Goodwill facility as part of a daylong city tour to promote school choice. Fuller was a key proponent that helped bring the state-authorized voucher program to life.
Royal Capital Group is supporting HFCA’s efforts to develop the new building and serving as the owner’s representative.
The real estate firm acquired the property in 2020 for $50,000 as part of the redevelopment of the adjacent former Schuster’s department store at 2153 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. into the ThriveOn King development. Both properties were previously used for storage by CH Coakley. Royal Capital and its partners are donating the high school property as part of the development.
Engberg Anderson Architects is leading the design of both the new school and ThriveOn King. The renderings of the former depict the latter in a completed state.
New High School Site Photo and Renderings
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- February 1, 2021 - Aisha Carr received $250 from Howard Fuller
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For decades, we have been told by the media and community leaders like Howard Fuller that charter and choice schools were superior to public education. Yet with billions of dollars spent on these schools over the decades, we have yet to see any clearly documented evidence that these schools have made a significant difference in education outside of sometimes scoring a bit better on standardized tests. The Republican legislature has protected choice and charter schools from the types of data that insure accountability to the tax payers. The laws should be changed so that any charter or choice school will need to have the same reporting standards as public schools. Religious schools would need to sign a waiver stating that the taxpayer has a right to know because these schools are getting public funds.