Chartering a new course
21st Century to move to former Ivy Tech campus by summer
Older students at 21st Century Charter School will move into the former Ivy Tech Gary campus by summer school, officials said Thursday.
Representatives from 21st Century and Ivy Tech held a joint news conference at the former Gary campus, where they gave some updates on their plans.
Ivy Tech announced in February it reached a deal for the charter school to purchase its longtime campus at 1400 E. 35th Ave. for $2.1 million.
By fall, middle school students will attend class in Ivy Tech’s former South building. High school will be held in the North building, said Kevin Teasley, president of the GEO Foundation, the private company that runs 21st Century.
Kindergarten to second grade will be housed at its current elementary school, 556 Washington St. Third, fourth and fifth grade pupils will go to the current high school building, 724 Washington St.
The move marks a major expansion for the charter school and GEO Foundation. The charter has nearly 900 students in grades K-12.
The board has approved for it to expand up to 1,500 students, Teasley said.
The move will allow it to accept 500 more students now on its waiting list, Teasley said. About 90 percent are from Gary, with additional interest from East Chicago and Hammond, he said after the meeting.
More students means more staff. It could hire 40 more teachers and plans to add up to three additional principals, Teasley added. The school may also look to add a building there for a gymnasium, he said.
Future plans could involve could bringing in some community use. A former on-campus restaurant could be one possibility, Teasley said following the meeting.
Seeing 21st Century poised to move in was bittersweet, Ivy Tech Lake County Chancellor Louie Gonzalez said in remarks. Both schools had similar values — investing in the community and young people, he said.
“It’s like selling a home,” he said. “There’s a part of you that aches, because you don’t want to lose that. But you want to give it to someone who believes in the same things that you believe in.”
“This location will be in good hands,” Gonzalez said.
Gary Mayor Karen FreemanWilson praised the sale and the opportunity for students to gain major college credits while there.
The corridor with 21st Century, the Gary Career Center, Ivy Tech and IUN should be named “education way,” she said, referring an earlier conversation with Gonzalez.
The 21st Century takeover prevented the campus from being fully vacant or another eyesore, she said.
During the news conference, Teasley recognized the academic achievements of several students in the audience. A sophomore and junior were both close to getting enough credits for an associate’s degree, he said.
Senior J’Lee Carver, 17, said it was a good move that would help alleviate some overcrowding and thin walls at the current high school.
“Having more space will definitely increase focus and productivity,” she said.
She expects to have an associate’s degree in general studies by graduation. She is planning to attend the University of Cincinnati for graphic design and architecture to eventually become a magazine art director.
Other changes are expected across the street at the Gary Career Center.
Starting in 2019-20, Ivy Tech is looking to start some process operations technology classes and industrial technology courses at the Gary Career Center, Gonzalez said after the meeting.
Ivy Tech announced it would close the East 35th Avenue campus in 2017.
It had gradually moved classes to IUN’s Arts and Sciences building on Broadway Avenue and other Ivy Tech campuses. Welding and construction classes were moved to the Gary Career Center.
For 21st Century, the location was advantageous — on a Gary city bus line and about six blocks from Ivy Tech’s new location on Broadway Avenue, Teasley said previously.
Students attending class there would be shuttled, he said.
The GEO Foundation also operates two charter schools in Gary that help adults earn their high school diploma: Gary Middle College and Gary Middle College-West.
The Excel Center, a high school credit recovery charter network run by Goodwill Industries has been renting Ivy Tech’s former campus while its 105,000 square-foot future Gary location is under construction at 4610 W. Ridge Road.
They are scheduled to move out by May, Teasley said.