Girls IN STEM charter school cleared to open in Washington Township
A new charter school, the Girls IN STEM Academy, now has the green light to open in the Washington Township school district after the school passed the final step of the rezoning process Monday night.
The Indianapolis city-county council approved the rezoning of the former Witherspoon Presbyterian Church property to be the home of the charter school run by the Paramount Schools of Excellence network. The rezoning resolution was passed without comment from any councilor.
The approval comes after a contentious few months between the charter school supporters and the Washington Township Schools district as it fought the opening of the school through the rezoning process.
In the past two public hearings over the rezoning of the school, lawyers for Washington Township laid out concerns about traffic as well as detailing the large public opposition to the school opening in the district.
Some city county councilors, such as Dan Boots for District 3, said that residents of the Washington Township, Pike Township and IPS school districts said the school wasn’t needed as well as having concerns over transparency on the school’s initial public hearings.
Other councilors came forward to support the school like councilor Carlos Perkins, who represents the area where the school is set to be located, posted on Facebook last week his support for the school to open in the district.
“As a Black man, as my mother’s son, my wife’s husband, and my daughter’s father, I cannot support anything that diminishes legitimate access and opportunity for women and people of color,” Perkins said. “I cannot and I will not promote oppression or disenfranchisement. I stand ready to welcome the Girls IN STEM Academy to our vibrant neighborhoods.”
Paramount CEO Tommy Reddicks said they are still in talks with the Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis to host the school at the start of next school year as the church property at 5136 Michigan Road is renovated to house the school.
The Girls IN STEM Academy has plans to serve grades K-6 in its first year of operations with plans to grow to serve grades K-8 and will be open to any student who identifies as a girl.
The new school will mark the fourth brick-and-mortar school operated by Paramount to open in Indianapolis. The charter school network also operates one in South Bend, Lafayette and an online school.
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.
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