SV Charter School Appeal
Four Rounds In, One to Go
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP — The fourth in a series of five public hearings on the future of the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School was completed Tuesday night; the final session is to be conducted Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Central Mountain Middle School library.
After the Tuesday session acting board president Butch Knauff said he did not anticipate an immediate board vote on the school’s future following the conclusion of this Thursday’s hearing; he said he would assume that vote will occur at the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting set for July 9.
Tuesday’s round saw district curriculum director Terry Murty questioned for two and a half hours. He offered testimony on the academic record of the school district and the charter school and the SVRCS curriculum.
The Tuesday session lasted three and a half hours. Others testifying were district business manager Susan Blesh, human resources director Mona Calhoun and district consultant Alex Dubil. Two parents of charter school students also addressed the school board, lauding the education their children received at the Loganton-based school.
Thursday’s final hearing will be an opportunity for the charter school to present its case as to why SVRCS should have its charter renewed for another five years.
The recent lengthy hearing process was scheduled after charter school officials had appealed a school board 7-2 vote in February to deny the charter school’s request for another five year renewal.
If past practice follows, the board will again deny the school’s charter renewal. The Sugar Valley school has successfully appealed to the state Charter School Appeal Board after each local turndown. Five years ago the school board elected not to go to the hearing process and its turndown at the time went straight to the appeal board which overturned the local board decision.
The charter school has been in operation since the year 2000 and has an enrollment of 419 students from the Keystone Central, Jersey Shore and Penns Valley School Districts, most of them from Keystone Central.
