Why Should Delaware Care?
In December, the Delaware Secretary of Education announced that the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence was placed under formal review due to enrollment concerns, meaning it will be investigated to determine whether it is in violation of its charter. This is the second time in two years that the school has been placed under formal review, but school leadership says the charter is in a better place now than it was in 2024.
Delaware education officials have opened an investigation into a Sussex County charter school after a drop in enrollment raised concerns about school finances and day-to-day operations.
Secretary of Education Cindy Marten first announced last month that the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence in Georgetown would be placed under formal review to determine whether it is violating its charter due to those concerns. On Monday, officials held their first official review meeting as part of the investigation.
It came after enrollment sat at 123 students in recent months, compared with 230 students during the school’s first year in operation in the fall of 2024, according to Leroy Travers, director of the Delaware Charter School Office.
The lower enrollment figure has affected the school’s operating budget and required staffing adjustments, according to the school’s website.
Like school districts, charter schools are funded based on a unit count system, which distributes money to districts based on the number of students enrolled, without considering additional factors to their educational outcomes.
Named after the prominent civil rights attorney who was born in Milton, the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence was co-founded by Delaware lawmaker, Rep. Alonna Berry (D-Milton).
Chantalle Ashford, the lead educator at the school, told Spotlight Delaware that the decline in enrollment could be attributed to changes enacted by new leadership, among other factors.
“The changes of folks in the building, I think it’s stressful, and I think that led to some loss,” she said.
The school hired Raushann Austin as head of school in August, replacing Brian Moore.
Separately in August, Moore also was replaced as board chair of another nonprofit – the Police Athletic League of Delaware – shortly after former-Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst resigned as its executive director amid its own financial struggles.
Ashford also noted during Monday’s meeting that this is the second time the charter school has been placed on formal review in 2024 for enrollment concerns, but said the school is in a stronger position than it was two years ago.
“This is not our first rodeo with this enrollment question,” Ashford said. “I know our families, especially with what has happened with us in the last year and a half, we are rebuilding trust again.”
Enrollment expected to rebound
Delaware’s Charter School Accountability Committee held an initial review meeting on Monday to probe the issues facing the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence.
During the meeting, Austin said the reduced enrollment has impacted the school, including its staffing ability and its offering of extracurricular activities.
“Staff members have taken on multiple roles, and the administrative team has limited administrative and clerical support,” she said on Monday during an initial review meeting with Delaware’s Charter School Accountability Committee.
While she said the school expects to enroll 225 students next year, the figure still is lower than the school’s previously projected enrollment outlined in its charter for its third year of operation.
Monday’s meeting was the first of two with the Charter School Accountability Committee. No recommendations has been made so far.
The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence will have a public hearing on Jan. 26 and its final meeting with the committee on Feb. 17.
Austin said that the school will receive an audit report on Jan. 31 for Fiscal Year 2025, and will then submit it to the state education department for review.
On March 19, Marten will release a decision about the charter school’s future.
There are three possible outcomes. They include allowing the school to continue serving students with no actions taken against it; providing the school with conditions that would essentially put it on probation, or closing the school.
Clarification: This story originally reported that Brian Moore was replaced as chair of the Police Athletic League of Delaware, but he remains a member of the Board of Directors.