NEW INWOOD YES PREP SAYS NO TO NEXT-DOOR LOAN STORE 
Calculating interest must not be part of the curriculum: The Leader reports that this vacant Kroger in the shopping center at W. Tidwell and Antoine is being renovated into a YES Prep School, with an inaugural class of sixth-graders ready to file in this August. But ACE Cash Express, the former grocery store’s next-door neighbor at 5616 W. Tidwell, seems to have become suddenly unwelcome, as a YES Prep rep explains: “’We’re worried that the activity there isn’t really compatible with a school, and we have some definite safety concerns. We’re hoping we can get them to relocate. If they don’t, we think their presence could have a negative impact on our ability to have students stay late on campus.’†[The Leader] Photo: Michael Sudhalter
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Nice. Too bad the YES ciriclum and methods can’t be implemented by HISD. “Personal attention” for students, gee you mean like smaller class sizes that a teacher could manage?
They knew the check cashing place was there when they considered that location, didn’t they?
Even YES know those places attract some questionable people.
@glenw, the charter schools can be pickier about who they accept, while HISD has to take anyone who lives in the district. That lets YES provide more personalized attention. HISD is also suffering from state underfunding and a lack of willingness to increase taxes to pay for smaller classes.
Janice has a point – YES Prep came to the nuisance. The fact that payday lenders are the lowest of the low just means that there were a lot of better locations for the school, like sandwiched between a strip club and a liquor store.