Westerville City School District officials, at the February 25 Board of Education meeting, presented possible uses for Central College and Longfellow elementary schools, which served as magnet program sites until they closed following the 2011-12 school year.
Executive Director of Pupil Services Barbara Wallace presented a proposal to repurpose Central College Elementary as a program site to support students with behavioral and emotional challenges. The goal, she said, is to expand the continuum of services for students with disabilities. Benefits would include providing in-district programming for students typically served outside of the district and being proactive in meeting pupil needs. According to a financial analysis, providing these services as part of Westerville City Schools’ Special Education programming, rather than paying for outside services, would save the district approximately $250,000 annually.
Director of Assessment and Alternative Educational Services Dr. Machelle Kline offered a supposal to repurpose Longfellow Elementary as a site to house an Innovative Learning Center for middle school students, as well as the Best of Both Worlds program, which provides educational and life skills to adult students with multiple disabilities. Best of Both Worlds currently operates from a house owned by Otterbein University near campus. Kline said the benefits would include retaining current students who desire a quality, non-traditional education; developing and deploying a dynamic and innovative learning model; reducing the loss of local dollars to community schools; and meeting the needs of adult transition students and community.