Schools

Charter School To Lease Vacant Jean Hayman Elementary In Wildomar

According to Sycamore Academy Principal Richard Shepler, as part of a Prop. 39 request, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District has agreed to lease 10 classrooms at the Jean Hayman site on Lemon Street to charter-based K-6 Sycamore Academy of Science an

After sitting vacant for three years, the Jean Hayman Elementary School campus in Wildomar will once again be abuzz with schoolchildren starting this fall.

According to Sycamore Academy Principal Richard Shepler, as part of a Prop. 39 request, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District has agreed to lease 10 classrooms at the Jean Hayman site on Lemon Street to charter-based K-6 Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts for the 2011-2012 school year. Under Prop. 39, the district is required to provide facilities to charter schools that meet certain requirements.

The lease is expected to bring in approximately $50,000 to $120,000 annually for the district -- well under fair market, according to LEUSD Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Services Greg Bowers. During a Jan. 27 Surplus Property 7-11 Advisory Committee meeting at the LEUSD offices, Bowers said anticipated revenue from the charter lease is based on a pro-rata share or 3 percent of the charter(s) revenue.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Charter schools operate under the California Education Code and must be sponsored by a local school district, a county board of education or the California Board of Education. They typically are established by teachers and parents as an alternative to public-school instruction. They can receive federal, state and local funding but not charge any tuition.

During the 2011-12 school year, Sycamore Academy will continue to hold classes at its existing location on Clinton Keith Road in Wildomar.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Our lease (on the Clinton Keith site) is up June of 2012,” Shepler said. “At that point, we will decide what to do (with the Clinton Keith site).”

Factoring into the decision will be student enrollment.

Open enrollment for Sycamore Academy begins tomorrow, March 1. Enrollment for the current school year is 325. The campus opened its doors on Clinton Keith Road in the 2009-10 school year.

“We’ll have to see how enrollment goes,” Shepler said.

Sycamore Academy will use eight of the Jean Hayman classrooms for regular instruction and one for special education students. The extra room’s use will be determined later, Shepler said.

Another factor that may play into the decision-making process for Sycamore Academy’s Clinton Keith site is the prospect of a second Wildomar charter school.

Supporters of Manzanita Academy of Science and Cultural Arts, a proposed K-8 charter school modeled after Sycamore Academy, to the Riverside County Board of Education to open in Wildomar. The board will discuss the appeal at its March 9 meeting.

According to Shepler, there is an existing Prop. 39 request for Manzanita to open at the Jean Hayman site.

 

 

 

 

 


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