The Thompson Foundation and University Prep...

"Bob and Ellen Thompson, the Plymouth couple who have committed their personal fortune to improving education for poor children, paid for [the construction of] the charter school, [University Prep High School].  It cost $15 million-- about half what a similar public school would cost-- and now that he's had some practice at school building, Thompson thinks 'we can get that down to $12 million next time.'...[Doug] Ross' deal with the Thompsons is to graduate 90 percent of the students and send 90 percent of the graduates on to college.
'He'll either hit those marks or we'll have an office building there,' says Thompson, who made his money in the road paving business.  'I didn't run just another construction company, and we don't want this to be just another school.' Ross gets the message.  If a student doesn't show up for school, he puts on his overcoat and goes knocking on doors."

The above excerpts are taken from an article written by:  Nolan Finley of the Detroit News, published on Sunday, December 14, 2003