The Lake Central School Corporation is reducing its presence at a residential facility, amid declining enrollment. The school district provides educational services for children at Campagna Academy in Schererville.
Lake Central's director of student services, Becky Gromala, says, at one time, that involved more than 100 students, but now, that's dwindled to fewer than 30. "We had teachers sitting at Campagna with one or two students in class, and we were short teachers here at the high school and some of our other buildings. So we needed to make an adjustment," Gromala told the Lake Central School Board on Monday.
Now, three teachers and two paraprofessionals will only be on Campagna's campus in the morning, so they can be at Lake Central's own school buildings in the afternoon. Each Campagna student was only in class for half a day, anyway. Similarly, the dean of students and school service provider employed by Lake Central will alternate days at Campagna.
Gromala says she hasn't asked why the number of students has gone down, but she notes the state has been pushing to get kids back home whenever possible. "The majority of students at Campagna are placed through either the Department of Corrections or the Department of Children Services. They do have some students who are placed there — they're parental placements that are paid for through private insurance," Gromala explained
She told the school board that Campagna's students are placed from all over the state.
