Pub. 8 2018-2019 Issue 2

10 S teve Winitzky is the kind of guy you want to have coffee with. And if you happen to be associated with any of Utah’s charter schools, he’s the kind of guy you want to thank while paying for that cup of coffee. Steve and his late wife Nancy met as teachers in a jr. high school. Together they dreamed about buying a big bus and taking their classroom on the road. While waiting for the fulfillment of this dream, Nancy became a professor of education at the University of Utah; Steve turned to nonprofit, working with Utahns Against Hunger. As Steve contemplated the role of education in breaking the cycle of poverty, Nancy spent lunch hours discussing the ideal school model with fellow colleagues. The passing of charter school legislation created a route for the Winitzky’s and their peers to open City Academy as one of Utah’s first eight pilot charter schools. I used to tell people, opening a char ter school is like building a plane during take off – just figuring it out as we go. Steve Winitzky Charter Pioneer