(SPRINGVILLE) – Lawrence County Independent Schools has been approved to operate as a charter school.
Lawrence County Independent Schools started the application process with Education One LLC and Trine University to operate a charter school following the consolidation of four elementary schools and one middle school in the North Lawrence Community School system.
The new charter school will open on June 30, 2021 and is authorized to continue to operate for five years.
“Countless hours of hard work have gone on into getting us to this point. We could not have done it without the support of countless volunteers and the support of the community,” said Albert Cross, chairman of the group.
A group of local residents toured several charter schools throughout the state to see how many of them got started and operated.
“Following any consolidation over the years in Lawrence County, you look at the communities of Huron, Tunnelton, and Williams and you see the negative effects it had on those communities,” added Cross.”We hope to keep the sense of rural community alive, especially after the fire that destroyed the old Springville gym. We want to keep our community alive and keep local schools operating.”
After the visit to charter schools, the group approached Perry Township Trustee Bob Phillips and the advisory board to see if they were interested in trying to acquire the former Springville School.
In July of this year, Perry Township officials and Lawrence County Independent Schools joined forces to acquire the school. The Perry Township officials did not take the decision lightly and wanted to ensure the taxpayers of Perry Township would benefit as a whole in trying to acquire the school.
This Thursday afternoon the North Lawrence Building Corporation will vote on moving the lease of the Springville property to the Dollens School Gym and other properties in the amount of approximately $2 million.
The North Lawrence Community School board will conduct a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to do the same.
“The focus of the public school system has put government officials, teacher unions, teachers, and students in that order. Where we got to change our thinking to a more independent philosophy of putting students and teachers first, the reverse of what education has become,” said Kayle Hoffman, a parent who attended a previous LCIS meeting.
LCIS has already purchased equipment for the newly formed school.
The former Fayetteville Elementary facility, which was also closed during consolidation, could be used for the same purpose. However, Indian Creek Township officials have not made any decision on acquiring Fayetteville Elementary for educational purposes.
