Charter School Plans and Goals: Here Pastor Robb King of the Disciples of Christ Development Center on Joel Blvd. in Lehigh, points to a large board upon which plans and goals for the new Lehigh charter school have been listed. Photo by Mel Toadvine

The new Lehigh Charter School of Excellence and of the Arts, located at the Ming Tower Plaza on Joel Blvd., the site of the once popular Lehigh Acres Auditorium, will open in early August and its principal and her assistant and enrolling students now.

For parents who are interested in finding out more about the school, which will house students from K-1 to 6th grade, they can call 303-4235 or visit the Office of the Principal at the site which is on the south side of the building which now also houses a large church.

The one-time auditorium was one of the biggest attractions in Lee County 40 years ago. It brought stars and celebrities from Hollywood and New York to perform on its massive stage. In its heyday, the so-called Auditorium was a landmark in Lehigh and busloads of visitors came from as far as Fort Myers and Miami for the shows.

Over the years, the building has sat empty, has been the site of a couple of churches, and once a large buffet restaurant. The building has been renovated throughout and its exterior has been refurbished. Motorists riding by the site will see Ming Towers across the front of the building.

The need for a new charter school is Lehigh was first noted by Pastor Robb King, pastor of

Pastor Robb King

The Disciples of Christ Development Center, just down the road from the new school. It had been the site of the former Tae Kwon Do Center on Joel Blvd.

He and people like Pastor Carlos Valentine have worked hard, making plans, setting goals and are now seeing their dream come true.

Greg Ruffin, director of operations for the California based Edfutures Inc., the management company of the new charter school, said it will first open in portable classrooms which are to be delivered sometime this week or next and will be situated at the south end of the building on the parking lot. The classrooms will be well protected with fencing and security, he said.

Ruffin said the school was coming to Lehigh because there was a huge need here for such a school. Edfutures has five schools in Florida, including Lee Charter Academy off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fort Myers.

That area of the building where the school office is located is where a large stage was situated years ago.

Principal Janna Schwimmer

The principal of the new school is Janna Schwimmer who has come to Lehigh from Kansas. She has impressive credentials and several degrees and people like Pastor Robb believes she will play an important role in the formation and founding of the school.

Schwimmer said that there are plans to build onto the building on the south side with a two-story addition.

“That will be a real learning experience for our students this year as they watch the new school being constructed,” she said.

When completed, Pastor Robb King says he believes it will be about 18,000 square feet in size. He said as soon as the permits are obtained from the county, construction is set to begin immediately and if things go as planned, the new building and its classrooms could be open by the first of 2012.

Pastor Robb said there are many students in Lehigh who ride on a bus for up to two hours attending a charter school in Fort Myers and another in Gateway.

Charter school’s offices are now located at 235 Joel Blvd. in the Ming Towers Building which was once the Lehigh Auditorium. Parents can pick up student applications from the office on the left side of the building. Photos by Mel Toadvine

“It is better for our students in Lehigh to have a facility close by and easy to get to so they don’t have to sit on a bus for a long period of time,” he said.

Many students from Lehigh attend the Gateway Charter School, which is located several miles from Lehigh on Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers.

The school will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offer free breakfast meals for all students as do all public schools in Lee County. And those students who qualify for a free lunch meal will be accommodated, too.

Principal Schwimmer said she is in the process of hiring the best teachers she can find.

“We want to get the message out there that the charter school will be a good place for students in Lehigh to get an excellent education.

“We have some excellent teachers who have been hired already,” Schwimmer said.

Charter schools are operated like local public schools. They work with the same curriculum as do the public schools. There is no tuition for parents.

The operations of the school are run by the management company.

Pastor King said the school plans to serve about 170 kindergarten through sixth grade students in its first year and eventually grow to serve 298 students.

Last week, school choice options began for parents to enroll their students.

Those involved with the charter school want parents and students in Lehigh Acres to learn about the new charter school. There has been little marketing to get the word out about the new school, King said.

For more information, parents can visit the charter school’s site online at: Lehighcharterschool.com/site.

The principal and her secretary are at the school office every day from Monday to Friday so parents can pick up student applications. Pastor King said he also has applications at his church.

“We’re really excited about having our very own charter school right here in Lehigh. It will end hours of busing for students,” he said.

“It’s a real plus for the school district’s East Zone,” he said.