GEORGETOWN, Del. - The opening of the ASPIRA Georgetown Elementary School at the historic Georgetown Icehouse has been delayed until fall 2027 after school officials encountered funding issues, renovation setbacks, challenges securing a temporary location, and impacts from the federal government shutdown.
The school, planned for Depot Street in Georgetown and located inside the historic building owned by investor Dan Bond, was originally set to open in fall 2026.
Margie López Waite, CEO of ASPIRA Delaware, said officials explored every possible option before deciding to change the timeline.
"We are disappointed about the delay, but it's not surprising. Unfortunately, one of the biggest hurdles that charter schools face when opening is securing facilities and then the funding for the facilities, because we don't get capital funding like school districts do, so we knew that there was a possibility," López Waite said.
López Waite explained they realized the timeline was in jeopardy after determining it had not secured the necessary funding by August of 2025. For that reason, she added, officials spent August, September, and October searching for a temporary location.
"The community really gave us lots of leads. We had a whole long list of leads. The unfortunate thing, though, was that a lot of those leads really were not going to be suitable for school, and we needed to find a space that would not only be temporary but already be outfitted to accommodate a room," she explained.
She continued that the team set a strict internal deadline.
"We gave ourselves a deadline of the end of October to decide whether or not we could open in a temporary space because on November 3rd, the school choice application process started in our state," López Waite said. "We wanted to be sure that our families knew before November 3rd whether or not our school was going to open in [20]26, because if it was, then they needed to be aware that they needed to submit applications during that choice window," she continued.
López Waite explained that the federal government shutdown caused progress to stall.
"This funding that we were relying on, which is called New Market Tax Credits, is a program that is out of the federal government, so when the federal government shut down, all the people that worked on that program, worked in that office, and that department were furloughed, so everything came to a standstill," she said.
"We are grateful that they were able to open up the government again. Things are sort of getting back on track, but obviously, there's now a backlog, so it's not as if they can flip the switch and everything is back on," López Waite added.
López Waite said the building's investors are responsible for pursuing renovation funding.
Meanwhile, she added, ASPIRA is pursuing separate funding for the furniture, the kitchen equipment, and the playground, among others.
The charter modification application required to officially move the opening date has not yet been submitted to the Delaware Department of Education, but López Waite noted that the school has until the end of December to do so. Delaying the opening is considered a minor modification.
"We've already been in touch with the Department of Education. They know what our plans are, but we are hoping to submit it by the end of November, just so that we don't have to worry about it going into the holiday season," she said.
Building renovations are expected to begin in March 2026, and it will be an 18-month project. The first floor is planned for completion in June 2027, allowing the school to begin operations while work continues on the additional floors.
"If there are any additional hiccups with funding, we can at least ensure that the first floor is done," López Waite said.
However, López Waite commented that a more aggressive construction plan is possible if the full funding becomes available early.
"If we get all of the funding upfront, then the contractors and the investors, the landlords of the building, are willing to just go ahead and tackle the floor renovation and have the whole building completed," she commented.
School officials added that the school will begin with grades kindergarten through third and an enrollment of 200 students, and will add one grade each year. The school had originally planned to open with grades K–2 before expanding to K–3.
Despite the challenges, López Waite noted that the delay may bring benefits.
"We do believe, as disappointing as it is, there are some advantages to having that additional year to plan it," she noted.
She also commented on the process of applying for the new bilingual charter school in Sussex County.
"I will say it was hard. It was tedious, it was time-consuming, but it has definitely been very gratifying to see the reaction that we've received from the community," López Waite said.
López Waite said she remains grateful for the community’s enthusiasm.
"They definitely understood the need for it. They welcomed the idea of more of their children growing up, being bilingual, bi-literate. The specific location for the school... has so much historical significance. The community is very excited about that being repurposed," she added.