Publication: Minneapolis Star Tribune [US]
Date: July 24, 1997
Section: News
Page Number(s): 1B
Length: 716 Words
Title: "Officials Like School Idea From Prince; Artist's Surprise Announcement In New York Is News To Politicians And School District Authorities In Minneapolis"
Written By: Rob Hotakainen and the Associated Press

When Westside Preparatory School in Chicago was nearing a financial collapse in the mid-1980s, Prince came through with a half-million-dollar donation that saved the day.

Now the rock star wants to spread a little more of his wealth in his hometown by building a new school at an undisclosed site in Minneapolis. When Prince made the announcement Tuesday in New York, it sent Minneapolis officials scrambling to find out exactly what he had in mind. No answers emerged Wednesday, but the concept was praised by many, including Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, a 1969 graduate of old Central High School, the same school Prince attended.

"Everybody's talking about alternatives," Sayles Belton said. "This would certainly be an alternative. I'm getting the impression, of course just reading between the lines, that he might be talking about something totally different. . . . It potentially could be a school that had a focus on artistic talents of young people."

Amy Phenix, the mayor's spokeswoman, called the plan "a wonderful gesture" that represents "good news for the city." But the mayor's office had no clue where Prince was planning to build the school. And neither did anyone else.

"It doesn't appear that he's made any contact with our agency," said Barb Shlafer, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children, Families and Learning.

Officials with the Minneapolis School District had not heard of Prince's plan until a reporter called Tuesday.

"We don't know anything about it," district spokeswoman Mary Pattock said.

Still, she reacted favorably to the news. "It'd be really neat if he put together some kind of an art school," Pattock said. "Wouldn't that have a lot of panache? And it would probably be an inspiration for all of the arts teachers and music teachers in the Twin Cities."

'Crusade of love'

Minnesota already has one state-run arts school, which operates in Golden Valley. Minneapolis School District officials are uncertain if Prince is thinking of opening a private school or a charter school, experimental public schools run by parents and teachers outside school districts' control.

Phenix said that officials with the city's Community Development Agency knew nothing of the proposed site. And a spot check of Hennepin County property records showed no sign of a recent deal involving Prince.

Prince started the buzz Tuesday when he announced his new world tour and told reporters that he had bought land for a school. He said that because of his own bad experiences in school, he wanted to help provide a better education for youngsters.

"I didn't learn much in school that I can use now," he said.

Sayles Belton, who has received political support from Prince, offered a different assessment of the city's schools.

"My experience with the Minneapolis public schools was a very good one," she said. "I got a good education at Central High School, but I'm not every other student."

Money for the school project will come from Prince's Love 4 One Another charity, spokeswoman Frances Pennington said. The school won't be built for a few years, and it's not clear yet who will be invited to attend, she said.

No other details were announced at the news conference. And Paisley Park, Prince's headquarters, had nothing more to say on Wednesday.

The plan appears to be consistent with Prince's "crusade of Love 4 One Another, " touted on his Internet home page (http://www.love4oneanother.com). Visitors are told to "imagine a world where all children get the education they need and desire." The charity was founded in 1996 to assist children who can't afford medical attention.

Prince's involvement with Westside Prep led him to an interest in developing a new school, according to his Web page. In the 1980s the school on the predominantly black West Side of Chicago achieved a national reputation as it turned hundreds of ghetto children into college-bound scholars. The school's founder, Marva Collins, was featured in a Prince video for his hit, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

Prince donated $ 510,000 to the school, with no strings attached.