The Council Bluffs Community School District is actively exploring creating a district-sponsored charter school to attract students from across the metropolitan area interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
If those ambitious plans come together, private funding is raised, the necessary approvals received and a new school building constructed on time, the STEM-focused high school could open to serve 400 students at the start of the 2027-28 school year.
The charter school would provide a multidisciplinary, project-based learning environment, Superintendent Vickie Murillo told The Nonpareil in an exclusive interview.
"It's really to provide students with one more opportunity that's unlike a traditional school," Murillo said. "We know we have students who are very interested in STEM fields."
While still a public school, the charter school model would allow professional engineers and others to take classroom roles and would provide flexibility to break away from a typical high school curriculum, although students would still earn traditional high school diplomas.
Students would still be affiliated with their assigned high school, and the new school wouldn't offer athletics or other traditional extracurriculars. But it would offer a unique experience where students could chart their own course while preparing for careers and future studies in STEM fields.
"Designed to align with student interests and the evolving needs of today's industries, the school would collaborate closely with industry partners to equip students with the skills necessary to succeed in a technology-driven world," according to an email to district staff.
The district wrapped up a survey of students and parents Thursday about the proposed charter school. Murillo said the next step will be surveying interest outside the district in neighboring school districts, including in Nebraska.
"Everything has been so positive so far," Murillo said.
FOCUS ON MEDICAL TECH, ENGINEERING
Medical technology, engineering and robotics are likely areas of concentration for the proposed STEM innovation high school.
Murillo said officials are exploring options for the theme of the school while exploring what other districts across the country offer for STEM-oriented programs.
Artificial intelligence would also be a likely focal point for students, alongside STEM fields such as aeronautics, cybersecurity and bioscience. The district is also looking into the Pathways in Technology Early College High School program.
The Council Bluffs schools already has its Diploma +1 program, challenging every student to obtain a second credential with their high school diploma — whether that's an associate's degree, a career certification or a variety of other career-centered options. Some of those Diploma +1 Pathways, such as the skilled trades program TradeWorks, send high schoolers to Iowa Western Community College during their school days.
Murillo called for reimagining how schools operate in response to rapid changes in technology during a speech last year at a luncheon organized by the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation. She said at the time that the traditional school system is like a conveyor belt.
"Every kid progresses at the same speed, no matter how much they learn," Murillo said in 2024. "The system believes that, if you follow the conveyor belt, you'll be successful. High school leads into college and a career or graduate school."
That conveyor belt approach doesn't work for every student, nor does it guarantee success later in life — even if it opens the doors to jobs that pay living wages. Murillo said the Council Bluffs schools was breaking free of that model by offering different options, which would continue if the STEM high school comes to fruition.
"Our students are experiencing some amazing opportunities and walking away with the reality that their dreams and passion can be achieved," Murillo said in the speech.
SUCCESS IN ROBOTICS SHOWS POTENTIAL
Students in Council Bluffs have been making a name for themselves for a decade in robotics, which draws more participation across the district than any other extracurricular activity.
"We have a large number of students interested in robotics," Murillo said. "Yearly, we have students competing at the state level, national levels, and even at world level."
The STEM charter school would provide more opportunities for students who are passionate about robotics. Murillo also highlighted the district's new program for drone aviation, which was requested by students who now can earn an Federal Aviation Administration license to commercially operate drones.
BUILDS UPON DIPLOMA +1 PROGRAM
While the Council Bluffs schools already offers a robust array of career education opportunities, Murillo said it only has a relatively "small number of pathways" for STEM — which fill up quickly.
Beyond its signature TradeWorks Academy, the district offers an Early College Academy plus college credit opportunities and various career and academic pathways through its Diploma +1 program.
One limiting factor, though, is the number of hours in a day.
High schoolers in Iowa have to complete certain academic requirements to earn a diploma, including four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies and three years of science. The charter school model would allow those requirements to be met through alternative means, such as by grading documentation for a project to meet English requirements.
The district might also be able to drop the requirement for physical education, and plans for the STEM high school wouldn't include traditional spaces such as a gym or auditorium. Changes to grading guidelines would also likely be considered, alongside adjustments to scheduling of the school days themselves.
"The charter does provide the flexibility," Murillo said.
DISTRICT HOPES TO BRING IN STUDENTS
Adopting a charter model for the proposed school also makes it easier to open the doors to students outside the Council Bluffs schools, one of the key aims of the proposal.
Certified enrollment in the district for the 2024-25 school year is 7,766 across kindergarten through 12th grade, according to Iowa Department of Education data, which is about a 2.85 percent decrease from the previous school year.
A declining enrollment means corresponding declining financial resources, as evident by other urban Iowa school districts choosing to shutter buildings to reduce costs.
"We've really started to worry some about enrollment," Murillo said. "I'll be very transparent about that."
The lack of available housing in Council Bluffs have made it harder for families to move into the district, as residents who are aging in place aren't sending children into the public schools.
The STEM school, however, could provide an influx — potentially at the expense of neighboring districts, but also providing a school choice that offers something different than they would be able to provide.
"This is a way to bring something new to our community and to the Council Bluffs area and also to the Omaha metropolitan area," Murillo said. "It will be something that I'm hoping will be of great interest to students that want that full immersion in the STEM setting."
MODEL SIMILAR TO OTHER IN METRO
While the charter school model is new to Council Bluffs, and Nebraska law does not provide for charter schools, there are similar programs operating in the Omaha metropolitan area.
The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium operates its Zoo Academy, providing STEM experiences related to the life sciences. The University of Nebraska Medical Center also offers its High School Alliance, providing the chance to observe, shadow and work with health care professionals from UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.
Students from the Council Bluffs schools, along with other Omaha area districts, participate in both programs by having their host district pay tuition on their behalf, similar to other placements district make in specialty programs such as those for behavioral health needs.
"We purchase those seats," Murillo said. "It would be the same thing for those students on the Omaha side that would like to come over. Their district can purchase those seats, and then those students could be enrolled."
Like other optional enrollment opportunities, the Council Bluffs schools would likely institute a cap on how many students could come into the program and how many slots are reserved for district residents. It would also depend on the willingness of other public schools to offer access to the new STEM program.
"During the day, the concentration and the experience will, I hope, really ignite and spark that interest to continue to grow in the STEM pathways, while still being connected back to their friends and their family at their home schools," Murillo said.
DISTRICT WOULD NEED TO ACQUIRE LAND
The school would be housed in a new facility on the eastern edge of Council Bluffs, and the district has been working with engineering consultant HDR to sketch out plans for the building.
"We're hoping to have this down by the River's Edge," Murillo said. "We want it close enough ... so the kids can go on the Bob Bridge, go over to the Luminarium. We want it close enough that they could walk."
The Kiewit Luminarium is located just on the other side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, visible from the Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park. HDR describes the Luminarium as "an innovative community space and learning environment that is part workshop, part museum" intended to inspire youth interest in STEM.
In other words, the Luminarium would be a like-minded partner for the new STEM school.
The location in River's Edge would also make the school visible to the larger metropolitan area and would also be a site easily accessible to prospective students traveling from other metro area communities.
Murillo declined to specify the specific site being considered for the school, and she said the district had not yet acquired property for the project.
There is a city-owned parcel of land immediately west of the River's Edge Pavilion that county records show is just shy of 75,000 square feet, which could potentially accommodate a 400-student school depending on factors such as parking and other outdoor spaces. Franklin Elementary School, for example, has about 420 students, according to state enrollment data, occupying a roughly 59,000-square-foot building.
Other sites could also be under consideration, and the project could move away from the River's Edge area as plans continue to be developed.
ANONYMOUS DONOR SUPPORTS PLANNING
Preliminary work on the STEM innovation charter school have been funded by an anonymous community member, meaning no tax dollars have gone into the preparations thus far.
Murillo said the district has been touring schools that could serve as models for Council Bluffs and has been working with HDR on what a proposed facility might look like, in order to "bring some life to it."
"I have a community member that's been very supportive," Murillo said. "I'm not using district dollars to do any of the research, travel — anything."
Murillo has spoken with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds about the proposal, and the district would pursue grant money made available to new charter schools through the state government.
The plans have also been shared with Council Bluffs City Hall, the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce and the schools foundation, along with staff and administrators in the school district, Murillo said.
"We have become a community that enjoys having new opportunities for our students, and that's what makes these ideas possible," Murillo said.
CURRICULUM WOULD BE 'CUTTING EDGE'
The Council Bluffs schools briefly operated an engineering-infused program for elementary students based out of the now-closed Crescent Elementary School using a curriculum called Project Lead the Way. It did not draw sufficient interest to keep operating.
An innovative new high school with a custom-crafted curriculum to meet the interests of local students and the needs of local industry would be substantially different initiative.
"It was on a smaller scale," Murillo said of the Crescent program. "PLTW is a very standardized engineering curriculum for students. I would like something more exciting, more hands on, moving faster, more experience going on. But we'll take the best pieces of PLTW."
The former Crescent building has been retooled into the Innovation and Sports Center, which now houses space for students to focus on sports and extracurricular activities, including robotics. The building was used to host a robotics league that brought dozens of students together earlier this school year.
"The kids are super excited about opportunities to create and build," Murillo said.
When looking toward the STEM high school, Murillo said "the sky's the limit" in terms of the opportunities that can be provided to those students — which has teachers and administrators lining up to work on the curriculum for the new school.
The goal is to identify what's cutting-edge, and Murillo said she expects the curriculum would "always have to be evolving" as technology continues to be innovated.
"We're in kind of a space we've never been before," Murillo said. "We're coming to a point where K-12 is going to have to really re-examine how we deliver education and start pivoting meeting kids where they are."
AI WOULD BE INFUSED INTO CLASSROOMS
The rise of artificial intelligence has applied pressure on many industries, and education is far from immune.
Murillo said she wants to see teachers embracing AI instead of trying to play defense and avoid its use in cheating on homework. Toward that end, all Council Bluffs teachers will have sessions on AI before the next school year begins to review the recommendations of a district working group.
"It's amazing what AI can do now," Murillo said. "So instead of us trying to protect and make sure we keep students off of it, it's no where — as educators — we've got to pivot and really come to an understanding of how we use it and teach our students to use it safety and correctly."
PRIVATE DOLLARS WOULD PAY FOR SCHOOL
The cost of the new STEM innovation high school isn't yet clear, as it will depend on construction as well as enrollment projections.
Murillo said she expects the main obstacle will be fundraising for the start-up and construction costs, but that operational expenses would be covered.
"I'm hoping through partnerships we'll get support down the road, just as we've done with the Early Learning Center," Murillo said, nothing that project was also fueled by private donations.
It's not yet clear whether the district would seek to raise funds from larger donors or would engage in a large scale public fundraising campaign.
"The goal is for us to raise enough money like we did for the Early Learning Center," Murillo said. "We didn't do a bond. We didn't take our general dollars to do that. We raised the dollars."
DECISIONS EXPECTED IN COMING MONTHS
The next step in determining whether the school will go from conception to reality is surveying interest from outside the school district, as bringing in enrollment would be necessary to make the financials work.
Murillo said the hope is to have the plans and funding solidified by December to avoid delays, so the district could solicit bids for building the new school. At some point, the school board would need to vote to provide approval, too.
Murillo said it's been amazing seeing how Diploma +1 has caught on in the district, and the proposed STEM innovation high school continues the effort to change how education is delivered in Council Bluffs.
"I always say, 'Why do you make them wait if they're ready to do this before they graduate?' Murillo said. "Let's open up opportunities for them to have experiences they never dreamed they could have. And let's start right here in Council Bluffs."
© 2025 The Daily Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.