Austintown turns Lynn Kirk Elementary into early learning center

By Kalea hall

khall@vindy.com

austintown

Becky Morris is excited to operate an entire building devoted to early learning.

To make more room for various programs in Austintown Middle School and to assist the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, district administrators decided to keep Lynn Kirk Elementary School and transform it into the Austintown Early Learning Center.

“We wanted to do what is best for our Austintown kids,” said Morris, director of special education for Austintown schools and the early learning center.

Lynn Kirk is a former elementary school that closed its doors this year, along with Lloyd, Davis and Woodside elementary schools. Two new elementary schools will open in September. Lynn Kirk will become the school for 3- to 5-year-old children in the early-learning program. This program includes both children who require special education and those who do not.

“It keeps a lot of our kids here,” Morris said.

At one point. Morris remembers having to bus some students with disabilities to other areas. Since there are so many children enrolled in the program, Morris wanted to make sure that did not happen again. At Lynn Kirk, there will be four preschool classrooms that each can hold up to 16 students. There will be both a morning and afternoon preschool program available.

In addition, the building also will serve the county. In the spring, the district board of education was approached by MCESC to see if there was an additional building available for the special- education program because space was lost at the Leonard Kirtz School. Lynn Kirk also will house the maintenance and food-service offices of the district.

“It is a good location,” said Dave Schnurrenberger, president of the school board. “It matched the needs of both the district and the MCESC needs.”

Lynn Kirk is undergoing minor reconstruction with painting, wallpaper and carpet removal. Since the school recently closed, several classroom items were kept for the early-learning center.

Morris stressed the importance of the early-learning center for special- needs children. Often, after receiving education at the preschool level, an evaluation proves some students do not need special education anymore.

“The kids are successful, and they are doing well,” Morris said.

On Thursday, a special board meeting will take place to discuss plans for the center.