Daughtry, McGraw headline show for Agassi school

LAS VEGAS — Comedian Dane Cook, rock band Daughtry, and musicians Tim McGraw and Brian McKnight were headlining a benefit concert Saturday night at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino to provide funding for the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy.

Agassi said this year’s first class of high school graduates from the public charter school he backs gives those who support the academy a reason to celebrate and justify their mission.

“We’ve lived in really fat times over a lot of these years, and these times are definitely different, but with that being said it’s still a great opportunity to raise a lot of resources and also celebrate,” the tennis star told The Associated Press.

Agassi, who is hosting the concert, said the school is an example of what education could be in Nevada and elsewhere if schools get proper funding and full support from parents.

“It’s not a mystery — we haven’t cured cancer over here. We’re plugging away at implementing the best practices that work,” the eight-time Grand Slam champion said.

That includes longer school days, mandated parent participation and volunteering, and teaching flexibility, Agassi said.

The K-12 school with about 600 students graduated its first seniors this year, and all of them moved on to higher education.

The school opened in 2001 with funding from the Andre Agassi Foundation, which has raised $75 million through the concerts since 1994 and has used other fundraisers to support the school for low-income students.

Students who apply for the school are chosen through a lottery system. Their parents do not pay tuition.

When the school started, the concert proceeds made up 95 percent of the school’s budget, but today they represent less than half of overall fundraising for the school, Agassi said. Tickets for the show cost at least $3,500 per pair.

“It’s been hugely important over the years,” he said.

Agassi urged Nevada lawmakers in April to make education changes in a state that ranks near the bottom in national per-pupil spending and graduation rates.

He was honored last month at the U.S. Open in New York for his charitable contributions, along with Doug Flutie, Mia Hamm and David Robinson.

After blowing kisses to the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium — where Agassi played his last professional match in 2006 — Agassi promptly talked education policy with the crowd.

“It just felt so appropriate and right to share this stage and time in my life with those that not only watched me grow up but those that helped me grow up,” Agassi said.