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Angela Watkins never planned to launch a school on her own. But after 18 years of teaching in public schools, she wanted to do for her “gifted, twice-exceptional and underserved students.” So in 2024, she helped found a microschool in Mereaux, Louisiana, a small town not far from New Orleans.
Although she had a doctorate in educational leadership and extensive teaching experience, she quickly discovered that passion and pedagogical expertise were necessary but insufficient ingredients of her new school vision. As it turns out, the business side of running a school – from securing facilities to establishing a sustainable financial model – presented hurdles she hadn’t anticipated.
Among microschool foundersWatkins’s story isn’t unique. They face the same startup challenges as small business entrepreneurs – facilities procurement, building and zoning regulations, not to mention standing up payroll and other administrative tasks.
The difference is that most small business entrepreneurs benefit from volumes of self-help guides, experts and influencers. Perhaps most importantly, they have access to guidance and counseling from both banks and federal small business development centers.
and و business و she – تفاصيل مهمة
Most microschool founders simply don’t.
For traditional lenders like banks, a new, small school is simply too risky and the return too small to justify the effort necessary to qualify the applicant and underwrite the loan. Their processes are designed for larger, established ventures, and it can cost just as much to underwrite a $10K loan as a $500K loan.
Earlier this year, our nonprofit launched the nation’s first open-access loan program for microschools. The idea was simple: offer relatively small, low-interest loans of $5,000 to $50,000 for each entrepreneur to provide the helping hand these small schools need to get up and running.
In the first 30 days, the program attracted interest from 258 schools across 36 states. The demand was overwhelming.
But what we learned while reviewing the applications might surprise you: Of the 54 schools that ultimately submitted full applications, 80% didn’t even meet underwriting criteria to qualify for the unsecured loans we offer. In those instances, we shared specific denial reasons with each applicant and connected them to technical assistance, depending on whether they’re for-profit or nonprofit organizations.
The mismatch between the significant interest in the loan program and the lack of financial and accounting acumen signaled to us that this critical, burgeoning sector needs much focused support than we had thought. Here were some of their biggest barriers:
the و we و to – تفاصيل مهمة
- Business Fundamentals Gap:Most founders excel at education but struggle with basic business operations. In reviewing applications, we found consistent problems with financial planning: unrealistic budgets, inadequate pricing strategies and poor accounting practices. Many resort to personal credit cards or retirement savings to fund operations, a practice that threatens both personal and school finances. Our analysis shows that even experienced educators often lack the business-modeling skills needed to build sustainable institutions.
- Building Code and Zoning Challenges:Finding appropriate, affordable space remains a major hurdle. While many founders eye church facilities as a solution, they quickly encounter complex zoning restrictions – Sunday school rooms rarely meet weekday classroom requirements. The regulatory maze includes building codes, occupancy limits and safety requirements that can overwhelm new founders. Some states are developing solutions, including public-private partnerships and revised zoning laws that could ease these barriers.
- Sustainability:Early financial missteps, particularly around facilities and debt, can create nearly insurmountable challenges for growth. Schools operating with high debt loads or unfavorable leases struggle to achieve the scale needed for stability. What’s missing is the kind of technical support that traditional small businesses receive — guidance on financial planning, facility management and operational efficiency that could help these innovative educators build lasting institutions.
For founders like Watkins, the Microschool Loan Program offers than just capital: It provides a pathway to establish proper facilities and implement sustainable business practices while maintaining focus on their core mission of transforming education. With the loan, she has a strong start, serving her initial 17 students who need alternative learning environments.
The challenges that microschools are facing are so intimately related to the hurdles charters faced in the early days of that sector: There’s so much energy, so many important ideas and so many dedicated and enthusiastic people. But many lack good business fundamentals. We must help ensure people do things the right way so they are positioned to launch successfully and flourish.
The next three to five years will be monumentally important in cementing this sector. This grand experiment — supporting microschool startups — shows the importance of building scalable, sector-wide support for nontraditional school models. There is a critical need here, and we can, in fact, help solve their biggest challenges.
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Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author:Allison Serafin
Published on:2025-12-15 23:30:00
Source: www.the74million.org
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173 fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);{“@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”,”dateCreated”:”2025-12-16T03:43:36+04:00″,”datePublished”:”2025-12-16T03:43:36+04:00″,”dateModified”:”2025-12-16T03:43:36+04:00″,”headline”:”We Launched a Microschool Loan Program”,”name”:”We Launched a Microschool Loan Program”,”keywords”:[],”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/we-launched-a-microschool-loan-program-and-were-surprised-by-what-we-learned-the-74/”,”description”:”Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Angela Watkins never planned to launch a school on her own. But after 18 years of teaching in public schools, she”,”copyrightYear”:”2025″,”articleSection”:”Education”,”articleBody”:”nnn n Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newslettern n n n nAngela Watkins never planned to launch a school on her own. But after 18 years of teaching in public schools, she wanted to do more for her u201cgifted, twice-exceptional and underserved students.u201d So in 2024, she helped found a microschool in Mereaux, Louisiana, a small town not far from New Orleans. nnnnAlthough she had a doctorate in educational leadership and extensive teaching experience, she quickly discovered that passion and pedagogical expertise were necessary but insufficient ingredients of her new school vision. As it turns out, the business side of running a school u2013 from securing facilities to establishing a sustainable financial model u2013 presented hurdles she hadnu2019t anticipated. nnnnnnnnAmong microschool foundersWatkinsu2019s story isnu2019t unique. They face the same startup challenges as small business entrepreneurs u2013 facilities procurement, building and zoning regulations, not to mention standing up payroll and other administrative tasks. The difference is that most small business entrepreneurs benefit from volumes of self-help guides, experts and influencers. Perhaps most importantly, they have access to guidance and counseling from both banks and federal small business development centers. nnnnMost microschool founders simply donu2019t.nnnnFor traditional lenders like banks, a new, small school is simply too risky and the return too small to justify the effort necessary to qualify the applicant and underwrite the loan. Their processes are designed for larger, more established ventures, and it can cost just as much to underwrite a $10K loan as a $500K loan.nnnnEarlier this year, our nonprofit launched the nationu2019s first open-access loan program for microschools. The idea was simple: offer relatively small, low-interest loans of $5,000 to $50,000 for each entrepreneur to provide the helping hand these small schools need to get up and running. nnnnRelatedNew Microschool Accreditation Pathways Are Opening Doors for Founders & FamiliesnnnnIn the first 30 days, the program attracted interest from 258 schools across 36 states. The demand was overwhelming. But what we learned while reviewing the applications might surprise you: Of the 54 schools that ultimately submitted full applications, 80% didnu2019t even meet underwriting criteria to qualify for the unsecured loans we offer. In those instances, we shared specific denial reasons with each applicant and connected them to technical assistance, depending on whether theyu2019re for-profit or nonprofit organizations.nnnnThe mismatch between the significant interest in the loan program and the lack of financial and accounting acumen signaled to us that this critical, burgeoning sector needs much more focused support than we had thought. Here were some of their biggest barriers:nnnnn Business Fundamentals Gap: Most founders excel at education but struggle with basic business operations. In reviewing applications, we found consistent problems with financial planning: unrealistic budgets, inadequate pricing strategies and poor accounting practices. Many resort to personal credit cards or retirement savings to fund operations, a practice that threatens both personal and school finances. Our analysis shows that even experienced educators often lack the business-modeling skills needed to build sustainable institutions.nnnnBuilding Code and Zoning Challenges: Finding appropriate, affordable space remains a major hurdle. While many founders eye church facilities as a solution, they quickly encounter complex zoning restrictions u2013 Sunday school rooms rarely meet weekday classroom requirements. The regulatory maze includes building codes, occupancy limits and safety requirements that can overwhelm new founders. Some states are developing solutions, including public-private partnerships and revised zoning laws that could ease these barriers.nnnn Sustainability: Early financial missteps, particularly around facilities and debt, can create nearly insurmountable challenges for growth. Schools operating with high debt loads or unfavorable leases struggle to achieve the scale needed for stability. Whatu2019s missing is the kind of technical support that traditional small businesses receive u2014 guidance on financial planning, facility management and operational efficiency that could help these innovative educators build lasting institutions. nnnnnFor founders like Watkins, the Microschool Loan Program offers more than just capital: It provides a pathway to establish proper facilities and implement sustainable business practices while maintaining focus on their core mission of transforming education. With the loan, she has a strong start, serving her initial 17 students who need alternative learning environments.nnnnThe challenges that microschools are facing are so intimately related to the hurdles charters faced in the early days of that sector: Thereu2019s so much energy, so many important ideas and so many dedicated and enthusiastic people. But many lack good business fundamentals. We must help ensure people do things the right way so they are positioned to launch successfully and flourish.nnnnThe next three to five years will be monumentally important in cementing this sector. This grand experiment u2014 supporting microschool startups u2014 shows the importance of building scalable, sector-wide support for nontraditional school models. There is a critical need here, and we can, in fact, help solve their biggest challenges.nn n n n Did you use this article in your work?
nWeu2019d love to hear how The 74u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us hown n nnn !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);n fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);n nnnnnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. nWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.nnnnnnAuthor: Allison SerafinnPublished on: 2025-12-15 23:30:00nSource: www.the74million.orgn”,”publisher”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”,”@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom”,”https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/”,”https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/”]},”sourceOrganization”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”copyrightHolder”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/we-launched-a-microschool-loan-program-and-were-surprised-by-what-we-learned-the-74/”,”breadcrumb”:{“@id”:”#Breadcrumb”}},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/”},”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/microschool-loans-825×495.png”,”width”:1200,”height”:495}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-12-16 01:43:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
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