Pittsburgh, PA - After bringing the Creative Cities Summit to tears in early April in Lexington, Pittsburgh native and education visionary Bill Strickland shared his work with the Lexington/Louisville Leadership Expedition and plans are hurriedly underway to bring a replication of his work to Lexington.
Bringing dropout rates of Pittsburgh students from more than half into the single digits and finding work not only for students, but also "welfare mothers" by getting them to "feel world class," by treating them like they are "world class," has made Bill Strickland, founder and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation a hot international commodity.
Fayette County Public School Superintendent Stu Sliberman said following Strickland's speech that he wants to bring what has worked in Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, Cincinnati and San Francisco to Lexington on 82 acres of federal surplus land given to FCPS on Leestown Road.
"We could easily be next," Silberman said in a fervent discussion with local business leaders following Strickland's presentation.
Strickland's philosophy is "environment drives behavior,' which is why his center, built exclusively with philanthropic dollars more than 20 years ago in one of Pittsburgh's roughest neighborhoods, was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and used as a scale model for the renown Pittsburgh International Airport.
"You build prisons, you get prisons," Strickland said while showing slides of his contemporary and lively Pittsburgh campus and those that have spun off in other cities.
"We may be prime to do it, we've got the money to build it," Silberman said. As of now, however, Sliberman said the Fayette School system does not have the funds in its capital budget to appoint and furnish buildings to the standard Strickland sees as absolutely necessary.
But the superintendent feels getting Strickland's moving and inspirational message in front of the people of Lexington would bring about the funds to create a public/private partnership to seal the deal.
"If our people in Lexington meet him, we (will)," Silberman said about the ability to bridge the gap to correctly construct such a facility, with the aim of lowering Lexington's drop out rate below 10 percent and making graduates job-ready.
In a posting on bizlex.com from Pittsburgh, UK Political Science professor Ernest Yanarella said Strickland's speech was inspirational. "Mr. Strickland noted that communities seeking to establish his model program will develop a five-year relationship with his organization to see that it is done right and properly implemented.
With four centers in place or being built and 8 more in the negotiation stage, a commitment by Fayette County Public Schools would demonstrate a capacity of this community to move from theory and speculation to action."
Already planned for the Leestown Road site are agri-science, pre-veterinary and equine programs. Strickland initially planned his Pittsburgh school as a vocational program but added culinary and arts programs that have been award winning and job creating.
His school has won four Grammys and has been nominated for more of the prestigious music awards for producing albums for Nancy Wilson, as well as its recordings of live jazz shows by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis.