Chuck Stockwell, a pioneer in the charter school movement both in Livingston County and statewide, passed away July 6.
Stockwell, a Brighton resident, founded Livingston Developmental Academy in Hartland Township in 1996, just two years after the first charter schools in Michigan opened.
Prior to that, he had worked in traditional K-12 education for 25 years as a teacher, ISD program developer and consultant, and administrator.
In 2001, the school was renamed Charyl Stockwell Academy in the memory of Chuck and Shelley Stockwell’s daughter, Charyl, who passed away from a serious brain and spinal-cord illness.
Charyl Stockwell Academy started as a K-8 school but later added a high school campus in Brighton, and is now one of the highest-performing charter schools in the state. The school now has 1,100 students in grades K-12.
Chuck Stockwell also founded a Brighton-based company called CS Partners to help manage charter schools across the state.
Some years back, Chuck explained what prompted him to want to start a charter school.
“My daughter was my inspiration,” he said. “I wanted to open a school that would be a safe place for her to grow and learn and I figured if it was a school that was a safe place for her, it would be a safe place for all children.”
Stockwell retired from CS Partners in 2019 but continued to have a voice in the charter school movement.
