An innovative experiment in private-public partnerships is getting the spotlight at Forney ISD.
Opportunity Central is a new multi-story campus where students from North Forney High School and Forney High School attend classes on the top two floors and gain hands-on experience in business through mentorships with businesses located on the ground floor.
The businesses get a discount on their lease by agreeing to mentor a set number of high school students.
“The fact that I will be able to work with and mentor students is a win-win for me personally, but I think it’s an opportunity to give back to the community as a business,” said Meg Wagner, owner of home décor boutique Pine & Ivy, reported WFAA.
The 350,000-square-foot facility will eventually house two dozen businesses. Retailers and restaurants will be open to the public, along with several professional services and entrepreneurial offices, an early childhood development center, a 600-seat theater, and a 7,000-seat multipurpose arena.
“If you want to compare it to the Allen Event Center or Garland Event Center, we’re about the same size but we built it right in the middle of a mall with a two-story school on top,” explained Forney ISD Superintendent Justin Terry, per WFAA.
Opportunity Central also has several student-focused spaces, including a recording studio, a photo studio, a maker-space innovation lab, a computer coding and E-sports lab, and a student-run flower shop.
“We’ll be getting paid hourly,” said Beverly Hackenjos, a senior who works in the flower shop, according to WFAA. “Whenever we make arrangements and it gets sold, we get 20% commission off that arrangement.”
Referring to Opportunity Central as “the future of education,” Terry stressed how the experiment has already caught the attention of other districts outside the Lone Star State.
Local colleges and universities are also getting in on the action. Texas Tech University, Dallas College, and Trinity Valley Community College are setting up offices at Opportunity Central to offer students and adult learners dual credit programs, certifications, and degrees.
According to the latest Texas Education Agency accountability reports, Forney ISD has been struggling with some student achievement metrics. Only 46% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams during the 2021-2022 school year. However, the district still performed better than Dallas ISD, where only 41% of students scored at grade level that year.
