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Fuel OKC and Santa Fe South present expansion plans and Crossroads Mall proposal to board
Summary
Fuel OKC outlined a strategy to expand quality school seats in Oklahoma City and highlighted investments and programs (teacher apprenticeships, leader fellowships, Enroll OKC). Santa Fe South proposed repurposing Crossroads Mall into a mixed use campus with space for 6,000–8,000 students and adjacent family services; presenters said the project has raised about $11.5 million in private funds so far.
Two guests—Brent Bushey of Fuel OKC and Chris Brewster of Santa Fe South—gave the board a combined presentation on charter school expansion and community‑focused facility solutions for under‑resourced neighborhoods.
Brent Bushey, introduced as Executive Director of Fuel OKC, described the nonprofit’s mission since January 2024 to increase access to high‑quality public school seats in the Oklahoma City urban core. Bushey explained that Fuel OKC uses state report card ratings (A/B) to define quality, noted there are approximately 18 A/B schools within Oklahoma City Public Schools boundaries, and laid out a goal to expand the share of students in quality seats substantially. He cited national and local research—including a Harvard‑based NAEP analysis that showed Oklahoma charter students performed strongly in certain comparisons—and described Fuel OKC initiatives including targeted investments in schools (he said Fuel OKC has invested about $5.5 million), talent programs to develop paraprofessionals into teachers and fellowships to grow school leaders, and a family‑facing enrollment tool called Enroll OKC.
Chris Brewster, superintendent and founder of Santa Fe South, described the charter’s growth since 2001 to serve roughly 5,000 students and emphasized creative facility strategies (using former retail and nonprofit spaces, partnerships with churches and reuse of anchor buildings). He outlined an audacious Crossroads Mall Renewal Project that envisions placing 6,000–8,000 high‑quality seats in the mall footprint, co‑locating health care, childcare, grocery, banking and other services to create a community‑schools environment. Brewster said the initiative is privately funded to date and has raised approximately $11.5 million; he said no public dollars have been spent on the mall project so far and that project owners have agreed the site could revert to public charter school use if the initiative does not succeed.
Board members asked about teacher workload and the broader teacher pipeline; presenters emphasized both recruiting new educators and growing talent from paraprofessionals via apprenticeships. Several board members and staff noted facility funding gaps between district bond spending (cited as about $25,000 per child on recent OKCPS bonds) and limited charter facility aid (red bud funds cited at roughly $500 per child per year), arguing the disparity constrains charters' ability to provide stable facilities.
Presenters provided contact information and offered to follow up with materials and links to studies cited in the presentation. The board thanked the presenters and moved on to the agenda.
Next steps: presenters will share full slide materials and contact details; board staff said they would continue to coordinate with community partners and monitor facility and talent pipeline work.
