DEMAND SPURS CHARTER SCHOOL TO ADD CAMPUS IN GARY
POST-TRIBUNE
BY: SHARLONDA L. WATERHOUSE

Parent demand and long waiting lists for Gary-area charter schools have prompted Lighthouse Academies to seek a second campus on the city's west side.

Across Lake County, the waiting list has grown to 650 students seeking spaces in the public charter schools.

The West Gary Lighthouse Charter School would cater to Gary and Hammond families, if approved to open in fall 2006.

In August, Lighthouse opened its first regional site in Gary.

Originally designed for 260 students, it has enrolled 380, confirmed its sponsor, Ball State University.

Now, it has a waiting list surpassing 200, according to Lighthouse Academies Vice President Mark Colliton.

“There's been an incredible demand from parents in Gary. Families here are in such desperate need for high-quality options,” Colliton said.

“In Hammond, families are also looking for alternatives. A school on the west side could serve both cities,” he said.

Marty Dezelan, Ball State's director of charter schools, said the university will decide by Oct. 28 whether to authorize West Gary Lighthouse.

Dezelan said the demand for charter schools is countywide, although skewed to the north.

“Across Lake County, there are 650 students on waiting lists. At all the charter schools, all but a couple of grades are at capacity,” Dezelan said.

He said the closure of area parochial schools may have fueled demand.

West Gary Charter would be Gary's fifth charter school and the seventh in the region.

That school and the already-approved East Chicago Lighthouse school could ease county demand. Dezelan said any child from the region can attend any charter school.

Lighthouse has an Indianapolis charter school and several across the country in places such as New York and Ohio.

Its signature is to offer an arts-infused curriculum for economically disadvantaged students in underserved communities.

Colliton said the arts-focus should be attractive to Hammond “which has one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the country. Arts infusion is particularly effective with the English language barrier,” he said.

While families have voraciously embraced the charter school concept, Colliton said the Gary school district has not been welcoming. It's offered none of its unused buildings for lease.

“They have schools they've closed down, but they are not working with charter schools,” Colliton said.

Lighthouse is considering a former bowling alley at The Commons off U.S. 20, as well as other empty buildings.

“We'd love to use an existing school, if we can,” he said.

The public can learn more about the West Gary Charter School at an Oct. 12 meeting.

“We'd like the chance to sit down with families looking for high-quality education and hear their concerns,” Colliton said.

Dezelan said Ball State will mull public response before granting further consideration.

The West Gary facility would debut as a kindergarten through fifth-grade school, but expand a grade each year to offer education through Grade 12. There will be two classes of 24 students for each grade.