GENOA –
After negotiations for Camelot Education to relocate its therapeutic day school in DeKalb to the former Chesebro Elementary School stalled, school district officials were notified the at-risk education program would be moving to the Genoa-Kingston school district.
Brad Shortridge, Genoa-Kingston District 424 assistant superintendent, said the G-K school board approved a five-year lease agreement on Tuesday that would allow Camelot to operate in the former Davenport Elementary School building, which was closed at the end of last school year due to declining enrollment.
DeKalb District 428 Superintendent Jamie Craven said discussions will continue to determine the best possible future for the Chesebro building, which has been used for storage since 2011.
“It’s disappointing for us," Craven said, "especially when we have a building that is not being used on a daily basis and buildings age quicker when no one is in them.”
Camelot Education operates its Northwest Center for Autism at the 509 N. Oak St. in DeKalb. The center has a maximum enrollment of 90 students, according to its website. It has operated as a Camelot school since 1999 and provides academic and therapeutic services for children, adolescents and young adults age 3 to 21 with extraordinary needs including autism, multiple disabilities and emotional disabilities.
With their lease set to expire this year, Camelot representatives reached out to District 428 officials at the beginning of the school year about leasing the Chesebro building.
The district considered a 10-year lease agreement with Camelot for the Chesebro building that would see the Austin-based educator perform a number of renovations including handicap accessibility, new flooring, lighting, walls and paint, HVAC and electrical work, extending the parking lot and restriping, a playground and landscaping.
Factoring in the utilities savings and the cost to renovate an alternative space, Tammy Carson, director of facility operations at District 428, had estimated that the net revenue from the lease would exceed $2 million over the 10-year agreement.