Friends of Otwell await word on potential charter

After over 140 students pre-enrolled for a potential charter school at Otwell, the Otwell Miller Academy is stepping closer to becoming a reality.

Last June, the Otwell community learned that the Pike County School Board approved a plan to close Otwell Elementary School this coming May to save money for the struggling school system.

That started a massive effort to try to save the school from closing. However, working with the school corporation has proven fruitless in finding a solution.

The idea of starting a charter school has been among the options being considered for months now by the group.

Tuesday night at the Otwell Community Center, Friends of Otwell Elementary President Mike Houtsch and Vice-President Bob Rhodes called a press conference to announce that they have formally submitted an application for a charter school with Ball State University.

“I’m real proud of the team,” Rhodes said. “We did a yeoman’s job getting it together as quickly as we did and we’ll see what the results will be here pretty soon.”

The application is well over 200 pages and includes a budget and other plans that show the viability of the school.

The group now must wait 60 to 75 days to hear whether Ball State will approve the charter. That process includes traveling to Ball State for an interview and a community meeting to measure community support for the school.

Houtsch and Rhodes reported Tuesday night that they had 140 pre-enrollment applications in hand, which is well over the 100 needed for the application process. But, there are factors working both for and against the process that are completely out of the control of the Otwell group.

Ball State University is undergoing a change in president, which can affect the application process. Plus, the school has also only authorized one charter school from the last 14 applications that they have received.

But, the Otwell group enlisted the services of an outside company that specializes in putting applications together for charter schools.

Additionally, the Otwell community has several organizations that support the plans: Otwell Community Center and the Jefferson Township Ruritan Club. Rhodes says that the two have combined with the Friends of Otwell Elementary group to create a formidable force to bring the school to fruition.

If it doesn’t happen, other options are being considered.

“We have other plans that are afoot. We intend to have the charter school successful. If we fail this time that doesn’t mean we won’t try again,” Rhodes said.

Another indicator of the resolve by the group are plans for a modular school facility which would be constructed on the Otwell Community property in town to serve as a temporary school.

Long term plans include trying to work out an agreement with the Pike County School Corporation on the existing Otwell Elementary School building.

“The facilities we will operate in next fall, hopefully, we won’t be operating in forever,” Rhodes said. “In fact, technically I can say that should we not get the existing (Otwell Elementary) school building at some point in time we’ll have to take other steps.”

He did not elaborate on what those other steps might be.

If the charter is approved, the new school would receive about $5,000 per student per year. That would form the basis for the school’s general fund. From that, teachers and support staff can be hired.

While nothing is guaranteed, the group is hopeful and invested in saving the school.