Celebrations Across Blueprint

FEATURED

Building on Experience: Blueprint Partners Receive Proposition 2 Awards  

Congratulations to Green Dot Public Schools, Alpha Public Schools, KIPP Public Schools Northern California, and Yu Ming Charter School on receiving Proposition 2 funding awards!

Approved by California voters in 2024, Proposition 2 provides critical funding to help TK–12 schools build, modernize, and improve educational facilities. Blueprint was proud to support each of these school partners through the Proposition 2 application process, and we're excited to continue working alongside them as their projects move forward.

For Blueprint, this work builds on decades of experience helping charter schools and their district partners access California's public school facilities funding programs. Under Proposition 51, our team helped secure more than $200 million in state funding for Bay Area district sites, ultimately completing nine projects. In Southern California, Blueprint completed another seven projects supported by Proposition 51 and earlier state bond programs.

Navigating these programs takes tenacity, careful planning, and close collaboration among schools, districts, state agencies, consultants, and project partners. Our role is to help schools navigate that complexity so they can access available resources and turn those investments into high-quality learning environments for students.

Congratulations again to Green Dot, Alpha, KIPP Northern California, and Yu Ming on this important milestone. We look forward to seeing these projects take shape and the lasting impact they will have on students, educators, and communities.

HIGHLIGHTS

Lotus School for Excellence Celebrates New Expansion

On September 22, Blueprint joined Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora to celebrate the ribbon cutting of its new campus expansion.

Blueprint partnered with Lotus on the approximately 31,000-square-foot expansion, creating new classrooms and learning spaces that will support the school’s continued growth and serve over 400 PK–3 students.

Blueprint President & CEO John Sun joined our Colorado team and the Lotus community for the celebration. During the event, Lotus Executive Director, Mehmet Nalcaci, presented the Blueprint Colorado team, including Executive Director Joy Griffin and Senior Project Manager Kelly Wilcox, with an appreciation award recognizing our dedication, professionalism, and commitment to the successful completion of the expansion project.

We’re grateful to the Lotus team and all of the partners, including Himmelman Construction, who helped bring this project to completion. We are excited to see students learning and growing in their new space!

Valor Academy Elementary School Celebrates Its Forever Home

Bright Star Schools recently celebrated the ribbon cutting of Valor Academy Elementary School’s permanent campus in North Hills, bringing students, families, educators, and partners together to celebrate the school’s new forever home.

For Blueprint, the celebration marked an especially meaningful milestone in our longstanding partnership with Bright Star Schools. Blueprint has supported facility projects for all three connected Valor Academy schools—elementary, middle, and high school. With the completion of the elementary campus late last year, the final piece of this three-campus facilities journey is now in place.

Blueprint COO Kahlmus Eatman, Project Director Joe Wilson, and Project Manager Stephanie Guerrero joined the celebration. From students dancing to families gathering throughout the campus, it was wonderful to see the new space filled with the energy of the school community it was designed to serve.

The Valor Academy Elementary School project created a permanent TK–4 campus with 28 classrooms and a multipurpose space, while also preserving a historic house located on the property. The campus provides approximately 540 student seats and was recognized with the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2026 Commercial Real Estate Award for Best Community Impact.

Projects like Valor reflect what long-term partnership can accomplish. Across three campuses and multiple projects, Blueprint and Bright Star Schools have worked together to create lasting learning environments that support students as they progress from elementary through high school.

Congratulations to the entire Bright Star and Valor Academy community on this milestone!

OUR PEOPLE

Blueprint's Team Expands

As Blueprint continues to grow, we’re excited to welcome three new colleagues bringing their talents and experience to different areas of our work: Elyssa Garcia, Director of Asset Management; Bryce Heitsmith, Project Manager, Colorado; and Luisa Lopez Cazares, Accounting Clerk.

Elyssa brings more than a decade of experience in education finance, lending, asset management, and school operations, while Bryce brings hands-on construction and project management expertise to our growing Colorado team. Luisa joins our finance team, providing important accounting support as Blueprint’s work continues to expand.

We’re thrilled to have Elyssa, Bryce, and Luisa on board and look forward to the expertise, collaboration, and fresh perspectives they bring to Blueprint.

BLUEPRINT ON THE ROAD

September was a busy month for the Blueprint team, with colleagues connecting with school communities, partners, and one another across the country.

From celebrating the Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora and connecting with partners in the Bay Area, to visiting schools and gathering with charter school leaders at the Texas Public Charter School Conference in Dallas, our team was on the road supporting and learning from the communities we serve.

We also brought Blueprint’s Board of Directors and leadership team together for our annual Board Retreat, creating time to reflect on our progress, strengthen connections, and look ahead to the next chapter of Blueprint’s work.