By the Numbers
$55,000: Money spent to renovate the building
$12,000: Rent per year for the Clark Education Center
$20,000: Tuition costs saved by Clark-Shawnee
21: Students attending this fall
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A new school for students with special education will open in Clark County this fall, a move county leaders said will help both local families and districts.
The new Clark Education Center Clifton Campus is located in the old Kindergarten Village of Clark-Shawnee Schools off of Old Clifton Road in Springfield. It consists of four classrooms designed to serve special education students in the county, Clark County Educational Services Center Superintendent Dan Bennett said.
“Currently many of these students endure a long bus ride to another county for educational programs that provide the intensive services they need to succeed,” Bennett said. “With the opening of the Clifton Campus, these students will have access to high-quality, comprehensive services in the county where they live.”
The ESC began working with superintendents, principals and special education supervisors in the county over a year ago, he said, to explore options for how they could lessen the strain on families and school districts.
The center’s No. 1 hope was to establish a place for Clark County students and families, Bennett said, and then save participating school districts money in transportation.
Many Clark County special education students had traveled to Urbana and Bellefontaine and Greene and Montgomery counties to receive specialized teaching and services.
The school will have 20 full- and part-time staff members who will offer academic instruction appropriate for each student. They will offer comprehensive services, including a sensory room, transition services, mental health services and positive behavior instruction and support, according to program director Jeanne Milord.
One of the units will be designed specifically for autistic teens. One of the goals is to teach students enough skills to transition back into their own school districts, she said.
“Our close relationship with Clark County schools will be a benefit to students and families in this program to make sure that we are prepared to help students meet their educational goals,” Milord said.
So far 21 students have signed up for this fall and the maximum number the program can teach is 36.
“Our districts recognize the importance of providing outstanding educational programs in our community to offer what students need close to home and we are committed to working with local educators to fulfill those needs,” Milord said.
The ESC will lease the facility from Clark-Shawnee, assuming custodial and utility expenses, while putting the building to use serving Clark County students.
Rent for the building is $12,000 a year.
Clark-Shawnee spent $55,000 in renovation costs, but plans to recover those costs within a little more than a year. The school district will save $7,000 in transportation and $20,000 in tuition costs through the new program.
Operation costs for the program aren’t yet available.
The four classrooms are just a start, Bennett said. He hopes to reach the maximum number of students and then grow from there.
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