The Lake County School Board voted 3-0 Monday night to move forward with a plan to combine Oak Park Middle School and Carver Middle School into a single comprehensive middle school on the Carver campus beginning with the 2027-28 school year. Board members Marc Dodd and Dr. Stephanie Luke were absent.
The approval follows a May 27 workshop where district staff presented the concept, as well as community open house meetings held June 2 at Oak Park Middle School and June 4 at Carver Middle School. District leaders met with parents, staff, students, community members and representatives from Leesburg Community Association to discuss the proposal and gather feedback.
Deputy Superintendent Chad Farnsworth told board members the response from the community was positive.
“We had good attendance and had parents come out and had a few students,” he says. “We had staff members, community members, representatives from LCA. The overall consensus was enthusiastic.”
District leaders say combining the two schools will provide students with expanded academic and extracurricular opportunities by bringing together resources, staff and programs on one campus.
Currently, enrollment at both schools limits the number of electives and specialized programs that can be offered. Under the approved plan, students could gain access to additional opportunities such as culinary arts, digital design, robotics and other courses connected to Career and Technical Education pathways available at Leesburg High School. The district is also exploring the addition of Pre-AICE coursework to help prepare students for the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education program offered at the high school level.
“I think everybody realizes the commitment that we have, making sure that those middle school students of Leesburg area are able to have all the available opportunities that they deserve and enhance programs,” Farnsworth says. “I think it’s really going to be a great change.”…