Ambridge Area School Board potentially not renewing charter for Baden Academy
UPDATE: A previous version of this article included language that indicated that the hearing for Baden Academy's charter status would take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8. Legal representatives for the school reached out to Beaver County Times reporters after publication to indicate that the district is in the process of rescheduling this date, so this information is not accurate.
At this time, a date has allegedly not been decided and is continuing to be discussed by the district. As of Thursday afternoon, the district's website has not updated the originally scheduled date for the hearing.
AMBRIDGE ― Ambridge Area School District residents may lose one of their popular charter school options after district administrators raised concerns about the school's "programming."
According to the Ambridge Area School Board, a charter renewal hearing will be held for Baden Academy to determine whether the school's charter will be renewed. The hearing comes after district administrators, who were not identified by the school board, presented several concerns about the charter school during a routine evaluation that is scheduled every five years.
"Based on this review, administration has identified concerns regarding programming," the district said in a statement to The Times. "The board then voted to proceed through a formal hearing process to consider Baden Academy’s renewal request. The school board supports the upcoming hearing process where Baden Academy will be given a full and fair opportunity to present evidence regarding why its charter should be renewed."
In their response to reporters, the school board did include details on the specific concerns mentioned by district administrators. According to officials at Baden Academy, under the current charter school laws, there are six reasons that a charter school can be denied renewal:
One or more material violations of any of the conditions, standards or procedures contained in the written charter;
Failure to meet the requirements for student performance;
Failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management or audit requirements;
Violation of provisions of the Charter School Law;
Violation of any provision of law from which the charter school has not been exempted, including Federal laws and regulations governing children with disabilities;
The charter school has been convicted of fraud.
Serving as a popular charter school option for the district, Baden Academy serves Beaver County families with children from kindergarten to sixth grade. The academy currently reports an enrollment of over 620 students and the academy's website says it has families from around 20 school districts involved with their program.
As the board begins the process of holding renewal hearings, the future of the charter school remains uncertain for parents. The decision made by the district will allegedly not affect the classes held through the next school year, but if the charter is not renewed, many of these students will have to find new schooling options in fall 2025.
"This is the first stage of the renewal process, but we remain optimistic," members of Baden Academy said in a social media post last month. "We want to reinforce that this decision is not final and will not impact the remainder of this school year and even next year. Now more than ever, BACS requires our collective support!"
Baden Academy parents have rallied around the charter school after the announcement, with over 600 people signing a petition to keep the academy open and continued attendance at school board meetings to show their support for the program. For parents like Sarah D'Amico, the mom of a first-grade pupil at the academy, the support the school offers her child and the unique learning experience provided is something that is hard to replicate.
"Our daughter, Mara, is currently attending first grade at Baden Academy and completed kindergarten there last year," D'Amico said in a letter to The Times. "Shortly before starting kindergarten, Mara was diagnosed with a severe speech delay. She was mostly unintelligible and almost never spoke. Now she won’t shut up! She even made a simple order and thanked our waiter in Spanish during our latest dinner out at 1942 Tacos and Tequila. She’s gained so much confidence thanks to her teachers at Baden Academy."
In her support of Baden Academy's renewal as a charter school, D'Amico discussed the active shooter hoax that had occurred in districts around the region last year and the professionalism shown by staff at the charter school. While the incident was an incredibly scary experience for parents, she said, the teachers at Baden Academy helped their kids remain calm and offered a space where they could feel protected.
"Mara came home from school with a smile on her face, talking about how silly her teacher was and that they had to play silent recess with the lights off," D'Amico said. "I’m forever grateful that she was gifted another day to just be a kid."
Parents who wish to speak about the charter school are encouraged to attend the upcoming renewal hearing, which has not had an official date set as of Tuesday afternoon. Residents who wish to speak at the hearing must sign up in advance by contacting secretary June Mueller at jmueller@ambridge.k12.pa.us and indicating their intent to speak. All residents' comments will be limited to three minutes.
"Unfortunately, Mara can’t vote on the future of her school and the people who control it," D' Amico said. "But you can."
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: School board potentially not renewing charter for Baden Academy
