New all-girls charter STEM school moves closer to opening in Washington Township next year
Update: On March 20, 2024, the Metropolitan Development Commission voted 5-1 to approve the rezoning of the property to house the Paramount school.
The new Paramount Girls IN STEM Academy moved one step closer to opening in a Michigan Road church after the city’s Metropolitan Development Commission hearing examiner Thursday recommended the building be rezoned to house the school.
The recommendation came over objections from Washington Township Schools administrators and parents who have voiced concerns about the effects the school might have on traffic if it opened it in the former church in the Highland-Kessler neighborhood. They also question whether Indianapolis needs another charter school.
Even if Paramount does not receive a green light from the city in time to operate in the former Witherspoon Presbyterian Church next year, the school may still open in a Washington Township private school.
The Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis last week sent a letter to parents, saying that the school was in talks with the Paramount Schools of Excellence, the charter school operator, to lease part of their building next year.
Paramount CEO Tommy Reddicks told IndyStar after Thursday’s hearing that talks are ongoing between the two schools.
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Parties both for and against the STEM charter school crowded into the public hearing Thursday.
Charter school and Washington Township school district lawyers gave arguments for why the property should or shouldn’t be rezoned for a school.
Hearing examiner Judy Weerts Hall said that her decision would not involve ongoing political battles over the best school models.
“I am considering solely whether the rezoning of a school is appropriate here,” Hall said. “I don’t feel like it's relevant for me, if it’s a public school, if it’s a charter school, if it’s a private school.”
A staff report submitted ahead of the hearing from the Department of Metropolitan Development Division of Planning also recommended approving the rezoning.
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The report recommended that a turn lane be installed for the northbound and southbound lanes of traffic on Michigan Road and an arrival/dismissal traffic control plan be prepared.
The Metropolitan Development Commission will hear the rezoning proposal at 1 p.m. on March 20 at the Indianapolis City-County Building.
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.
Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder. To learn more about how you can support IndyStar’s partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: New charter STEM school can continue with rezoning process
