Home on the Range, a residential treatment program near Dickinson that opened an on-site school in June 2024, presented Sept. 4 to the Stark County Commission and requested county consideration of funding for an addition to expand classroom space, add a learning commons and create sensory/multipurpose space.

Executive Director Laura Feldman described the program’s work with children ages 12–17, noting high adverse-childhood-experience (ACE) scores among clients and a specialized focus on trafficked and exploited youth. Feldman said the on-campus Badlands Learning Center served 80 students between June 2024 and Aug. 28, offering 196 classes, 98 earned credits and three GEDs. She told commissioners the program has higher success completing credits than the community school students who previously served those youth.

Feldman presented a $3.2 million estimated project cost for an addition and said the organization had raised $1.3 million with another $100,000 pending; she asked the county to consider inclusion of a county contribution in the 2026 budget process. Commissioners invited the organization to appear at the Sept. 16 budget meeting for formal consideration alongside other service requests. Commissioner Marsh and others complimented the program but said decisions must be weighed against other county priorities.

Next steps: Home on the Range will be included in the county’s Sept. 16 budget considerations; commissioners offered to tour the facility on request and emphasized the need to consider this request together with other funding requests during budget deliberations.