Lakewood Charter School To Close, New District Program To Launch

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood City Academy community charter school will close, and the Lakewood City School will open its own alternative education program in the former Franklin Elementary building, the district announced on Wednesday.

“This change will give the District a chance to dream, imagine and then have discussions about what we want to do in regards to alternative education programming that wouldn’t be possible under the state compliance requirements for schools like LCA," said Lakewood Schools Superintendent Mike Barnes.

The Lakewood City Academy charter school is sponsored by the school district and has served as a dropout prevention, credit recovery school. As such, the LCA is subject to strict Ohio Department of Education regulation. The district had hoped the school model would provide more flexibility to meet the unique needs of LCA students, the district said.

Over the years, state compliance procedure has become "more cumbersome," the district said, and has "hindered the educational opportunities that LCA could offer to its students."

The district believes that bringing the alternative education program under the official district umbrella will allow for the sharing of staff and other resources through the middle and high schools. Students will be able to partake in elective offerings like music, art, and career-tech classes. Those classes are not allowed under the restrictions of the current sponsorship agreement.

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Students from the alternative education program will also receive a Lakewood High diploma, the district said.

What Happens Now?

Lakewood City Academy had a five-year sponsorship agreement with the district, which expires on June 30, 2019. The district has decided not to renew the sponsorship.

Instead, during the 2020-2021 school year, administrators will gather input from students, staff, parents, and the community-at-large, about what alternative education should look like in Lakewood. That feedback will inform a new, as yet unnamed program, which will begin operation in the 2021-2020 school year.

Current LCA students will continue through the year with their current curriculum, but with expanded opportunities, the district said.

During the Board of Education meeting on January 7, Assistant Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki said the transformation will produce little visible change, at first. “We want this to be a seamless transition for everyone,” she said. LCA Coordinator Terri Elwell-Bornino will continue to lead the program.

The Lakewood City Academy opened in 2005. Since its opening, 185 students have graduated from the program, a feat the students may not have completed without the options of alternative education.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch