Diversity & Inclusion

Awkward: Inside an open house for a charter school that may not open

Amid its woes, Delaware STEM Academy is still hopeful it will get to open its doors in September.

A Delaware STEM Academy booth at a mall. (Photo via Facebook)

Last Thursday, the Delaware Charter School Accountability Committee (CSAC) moved to revoke Delaware STEM Academy’s charter before it even opened, due to concerns with low enrollment and financial viability.
But DSA is still pushing along with its plan to open in September. In the last two weeks, amid its troubles, the school has hosted a series of open houses to encourage more students to enroll.
We visited the open house yesterday evening, held in DSA’s administrative office in a New Castle office park. The open house had several booths set up for science demonstrations with lasers, microscopes and plant growing stations. Many of the materials were donated by DSA Board member Andy Ragone through his employer, DuPont Engineering. Ragone and fellow board member Marian Young were among the school representative at the open house, along with DSA executive director Brett Taylor.

DSA Executive Director Brett Taylor shows off a hypothetical classroom. (Photo by Ben Porten)

DSA Executive Director Brett Taylor shows off a hypothetical classroom. (Photo by Ben Porten)


Taylor, who sported a smile and a blue polo shirt, acknowledged that CSAC had voted to recommend the revocation of DSA’s charter but emphasized that the decision was still ultimately in the hands of Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky. Godowsky will announce his decision on June 16.
While we were there, we saw just one family: Ronda Dougherty and her grandson Luis Velez, a rising sophomore. Dougherty enrolled Velez at the open house, in part because DSA told her that Velez could make up some missing credits over the summer and start tenth grade in the fall.
DSA was placed under formal review by CSAC in April 2016 due in part to low enrollment numbers. Jennifer Nagourney, executive director of the Delaware Charter School Office, noted that the school had only 29 percent of their total approved enrollment, though Delaware state law requires charter schools to have enrolled at least 80 percent of their total approved enrollment by April 1 of each school year.
There were 130 enrolled students as of Thursday, said Taylor. That number accounts for 52 percent of the school’s total number of authorized students
“We’d like to have more, obviously,” said Taylor, who most recently served as a special assistant for legislation, budget and policy for the Delaware Department of Transportation.
Luis Velez, 14, with his grandmother, Ronda Dougherty. Velez enrolled in DSA at the open house. (Photo by Ben Porten)

Luis Velez, 14, with his grandmother, Ronda Dougherty. Velez enrolled in DSA at the open house. (Photo by Ben Porten)


Taylor added that during the June 2 CSAC meeting, CSAC had requested that the school provide information pertaining to fourteen points. The DSA board has compiled its responses and will submit them following today’s Special Meeting of the Board of Directors.
“We feel confident in our response and that the Secretary will look favorably on it,” Taylor said.


DSA is continuing to enroll students and is planning on opening in September, he said.
“Our goal was much higher,” he said, “but starting a new school is very challenging.”
As a member of the Red Clay Consolidated School District’s Charter Authorization Committee, Taylor participated in the openings of three New Castle County charter schools and one district magnet school.
“But I was part of a team,” he said, “and this is the first school where I’m the leader, where I’m heading the startup.”

DSA board member Andy Ragone gives a demonstration on photosynthesis. “Brett pretty much killed the plant,” he joked. (Photo by Ben Porten)

DSA board member Andy Ragone gives a demonstration on photosynthesis. “Brett pretty much killed the plant,” he joked about the school’s executive director. (Photo by Ben Porten)


“It’s very challenging,” he continued. “You have to convince parents to come to a new school, let alone a charter school, let alone a STEM school. We have a more challenging marketing process than other schools.”
He described enrollment at the school as “slow and steady,” but said that it could be a blessing in disguise, as a smaller school can give greater attention to its students.
“We’re looking at this positively,” Taylor said, “as opposed to…” and trailed off.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

EDA officials are ‘hopeful’ Tech Hubs program will live on under Trump

AI is being used in more and more of the hiring process, especially at high-volume companies

This Week in Jobs: 27 hot open roles to warm up a frosty career

Technically Media