GEORGETOWN, Del. - The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence is now permanently closed after the Delaware Department of Education revoked the school’s charter earlier this year.
The Georgetown charter school held its final day of classes Friday. The Department of Education voted in March to revoke BASSE’s charter, citing concerns with the school’s finances, enrollment and daily operations. BASSE opposed the decision, arguing that Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, who made the decision to revoke the charter, never visited the school.
Parents said the closure is especially difficult for students who felt supported at BASSE and are now being forced to change schools at a critical time.
Breanna Shuhart, whose daughter attended BASSE, said she is worried about what the change could mean for her daughter’s confidence and education. “My concern would be that that confidence that she gained in the last two years would kind of take a bit of a back step,” Shuhart said. “I don’t know if they’d be able to continue to work with her at the level that they’ve been working with her here.”
Amy Stiefel-Fresh, whose nephew attended BASSE, said her family is considering homeschooling instead of sending him back to public school. “That would be a negative impact to him not being with his friends,” Stiefel-Fresh said.
BASSE was first expected to open in fall 2023, but the school’s opening was delayed. The school eventually opened in fall 2024 in Georgetown, serving sixth through ninth graders.
More than 120 students attended BASSE this past school year.
Those students can now return to their home school district. They can also apply through school choice to another district or charter school, even though the regular deadline has already passed. BASSE students have a grace period to make that move.
The school declined an interview Friday, saying staff were focused on making sure students had a joyful final day at BASSE.
