Focus Learning Academy

Leroy McClure knows how tough traditional schools can be for students with learning differences. It was his brother’s experience with dyslexia that inspired McClure to study those differences and apply what he learned at an exclusive private school. The work was rewarding, but McClure was troubled by the realization that the programs he offered were mostly unavailable to less privileged children. As a result he and Yvette McClure, his partner and wife, established the Focus Learning Academy, a public charter school in a modest Dallas, Texas, neighborhood. Now after nine years the highly-regarded school serves almost 400 K-8 learners with 38 well-qualified faculty and staff.

A few years after opening, the school was in need of facilities big enough to accommodate a growing student population. With limited operating funds, many charter schools lease space as they grow, sometimes changing locations every few years. From McClure’s perspective, the lack of a suitable permanent facility creates a sense of instability for students and teachers. He considered this need so critical that he began a significant expansion of the campus before locking in the financing to pay for it. After a verbal commitment from his bank fell through, McClure approached nearly a dozen others, but none were interested in the project. Strapped for cash, he was nearly ready to give up, until a contact at Washington Mutual suggested that he talk to Self-Help.

A Self-Help loan officer visited the school, listened to McClure’s story, and followed up with a list of a dozen things the school would need to do to qualify for a loan. Among the items on the list was consolidating the school’s two newest campuses. So was hiring a chief financial officer. “First thing I thought was, these people are crazy,” said McClure. “But my wife and I put them down on our prayer list, and then we started working at it.” Eight months later, they’d gone through most of the tasks. “That’s when we saw there was hope,” said McClure. “Self-Help was the first lender to tell us ‘We love what you’re doing.’ They took the time to learn about our vision.”

Self-Help staff worked closely with McClure to make sure the school could afford a $3 million loan to complete the flagship campus. McClure learned to rely on others with expertise in finance so he could concentrate on delivering the best education for his students. Hiring a certified public accountant as chief financial officer helped tremendously. “We can’t believe we went as long as we did without him,” says McClure. “Self-Help is a true partner. They have experience and contacts that help us think about our business in a different way.”

Now there is stability where there used to be uncertainty.By this time next year Focus Learning Academy will have the infrastructure it needs to be a cornerstone of its largely low-income neighborhood. And most importantly, the students will have a permanent home for learning.