Boards reject plans for STEAM academy charters
Bethlehem, Whiehall-Coplay districts both unanimously vote against proposals
Both Bethlehem Area and Whitehall-Coplay school boards unanimously denied charter applications in their districts for proposed STEAM academies at their Monday meetings.
Allentown School Board denied a similar application for a STEAM academy at its meeting last week.
All three proposed charter schools would have emphasized project-based STEAM learning through partnerships with local nonprofits and community businesses, using the Pennsylvania STEAM Academy in Harrisburg as a model.
The Bethlehem STEAM Academy Charter School, proposed for 316 E. Market St., would have opened in August 2024 for 240 students in kindergarten through third grade.
The Whitehall STEAM Academy Charter School was also seeking to open in August 2024 to serve 300 students in kindergarten through third grade at 215 Quarry St.
Both schools were seeking to add grades each year until they served students in kindergarten through eighth grades.
District administrations in both Bethlehem Area and Whitehall-Coplay took issue with the charter applications for similar reasons, including a lack of community support.
In both cases, community partners listed in the applications told the respective districts they did not have any conversations with the applicant teams and did not lend their support to the charter school. Some of these organizations include Da Vinci Science Center, Touchstone Theatre and Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.
In Bethlehem, the administration also raised concerns about scheduling, staffing and academic strategies, specifically the school’s literacy approach.
In Whitehall, the administration pointed to issues such as inadequate budgets and a lack of locally designed curriculum materials.
The applicant groups in both districts can revise and resubmit their denied charter school application to the respective school board or appeal the denial to the Charter School Appeal Board. To appeal, applicants must collect 1,000 signatures from school district residents or 2% of the school district’s population, whichever number is less, within 60 days of the denial.