GEORGETOWN, Del. - A new public charter school, the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, has decided to delay its opening for one year.
"This is a hard decision," said founding school leader Chantalle Ashford. "Our parents, caregivers, and students that have applied to attend our school were looking forward to a Fall 2023 opening, but we had to stay within compliance with our charter. Though we hate to defer our dream of providing a new school option to the students in Sussex County, we are looking forward to opening in Fall 2024."
Delaware's charter school law states that all charter schools need to have 80 percent of their enrollment by April 1 to be allowed to open doors. Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence was short 75 students of its 200-student goal.
"We're rolling right along and getting the word out," said Vice Board Chair and founding board member Betsy Renzo. "People were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic, but it takes time and we just ran out of it."
School officials have said that many families have only recently begun looking for other options and that many only recently realized that the school would offer a third charter option in Sussex County, joining Sussex Academy and Sussex Montessori.
Though the school will not open this fall, its board and leadership team will host summer and after-school programming for community members and the more than 120 families that applied for the original 2023 school year. They will offer a two-week summer leadership lab in July and continue to update the school's building on the Georgetown campus of Delaware Technical Community College.
The school is planning for a 2024 opening. More information and updates can be found at basseinc.org.
