York City School District administration recommends 5-year renewal and grade reduction for Lincoln Charter School

Attorney Allison Peterson, the district’s charter school attorney, told the York City School District board that district staff recommend renewing Lincoln Charter School’s charter for a five-year term and amending the charter so the school will offer kindergarten through sixth grade only and consolidate instruction at 559 West King Street.

The recommendation follows a comprehensive review conducted under the district’s charter renewal process (board policy 1 40) and a school quality review by the Simmons Group. “Lincoln was still allowed to operate under the law” after the charter term ended June 30, 2025, Peterson said, and the administration negotiated a renewal charter that Lincoln’s board voted to approve last Thursday; the signed charter arrived at the district the same day Peterson presented.

Why it matters: the proposed renewal keeps Lincoln open under new, updated performance goals and operational conditions but reduces its grade span and site footprint. The change will directly affect Lincoln students, families, staff and the district’s facility planning because instruction would cease at 459 West King Street and continue only at the district-owned 559 West King Street building.

What the review found

Peterson summarized academic, operational and financial findings from the renewal review. She said Lincoln is “the longest‑tenured charter school in York City School District,” originally chartered in 2000 and renewed in 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2021. The district’s review covered five years of records, site visits (including visits in April 2025), the Simmons Group’s school quality review, Lincoln’s renewal application and supplemental document requests.

Academic data were mixed, Peterson said. Lincoln’s authorized enrollment cap is 785 students (K–8), and the school has operated below that cap. State testing and accountability data were affected by COVID-era disruptions, she said; the district’s slide set showed year‑to‑year fluctuations in PSSA, Act 13 and PVAS metrics with some growth standards met and some not met (Peterson noted that PVAS metrics were met in math, ELA and science except for one year in math). The school did not meet several charter-specified percentage-point improvement goals in ELA and math, and it did not meet English learner acquisition targets in any year reviewed.

Operationally, the Simmons Group reported positive family and student relationships with staff but flagged concerns about fragmented instructional practice, curriculum quality and inconsistent implementation of PBIS and MTSS. The review also highlighted substantial administrative turnover during the charter term — Peterson said Lincoln had had roughly eight different school leaders during the period — and identified areas for improved special education monitoring and consistent application of policies.

On finances, Peterson reported Lincoln was in a “healthy” position as of the most recent audited year ending 06/30/2024, citing a fund balance of $12,100,000 with $6,000,000 assigned for capital projects and no adverse audit findings; the school purchased 459 West King Street during the charter term for $750,000, she said. Audited financial data for the 2024–25 year were not yet available (audits typically are due by December 31). Peterson noted the district saw an increase in Lincoln’s fund balance from 2022–23 to 2023–24, but cautioned that the end of ARP/ESSER federal funds could affect future balances.

Recommended amendments and conditions

Peterson said the negotiated renewal charter includes: a five‑year term (the only renewal length permissible under the charter law as stated in the presentation), a change in grade structure to K–6 effective immediately (Lincoln had already ceased educating grades 7–8 for the current school year), and the consolidation of instruction to 559 West King Street with 459 West King Street retained only for noninstructional uses until it is no longer owned by Lincoln. The renewal also updates goals so they align with state and federal accountability measures and incorporates operational conditions to address findings from the Simmons Group and the district’s review.

Peterson said Lincoln and the district came to terms on academic goals through negotiations that tied the charter goals to improvement plans Lincoln submits to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). On monitoring, she said the renewal charter requires Lincoln to provide progress data to the district on benchmarks and goals; the district will also be able to view public Future Ready Index data produced by PDE.

Board questions and concerns

Board members asked about space, staffing, monitoring of corrective actions, leadership turnover and whether Lincoln had resisted the recommended conditions. Peterson said Lincoln’s administration and legal counsel (Dan Fenwick, whom she had spoken with during negotiations) did not push back on most operational elements; the largest negotiation centered on aligning academic goals with PDE improvement plans. On staffing and space, Peterson said Lincoln was adequately staffed for its current enrollment but would need more staff and possibly space if it increased enrollment toward its 785 cap. She reiterated that the charter as written restricts instruction to the original district‑owned building, while allowing limited noninstructional use of the 459 West King Street property while Lincoln still owns it.

Next steps

Peterson told the board that the administration would bring a resolution to the district’s board agenda next week to approve and grant the charter consistent with the negotiated amendments; she said the charter the district is being asked to approve is the same document Lincoln’s board approved and signed. The district’s formal vote had not yet occurred at the time of the presentation.

Attribution and caution

Peterson and Dr. Barry Brown presented the administration’s recommendation and answered board members’ questions. Several directors said they wanted clearer, ongoing evidence that Lincoln would address the instructional and leadership concerns identified in the review before final approval; Peterson described required reporting and technical assistance that Lincoln has accepted and receives from the intermediate unit (IU), PDE and the district.

What remains unknown or pending

Audited financial statements for the 2024–25 year were not available at the time of the meeting (audits due December 31), and PDE’s 2024–25 academic data had not been published (Peterson said it is typically released in November). The district will receive the renewal resolution on next week’s agenda for formal consideration and vote.

Ending

If the district board votes to approve the negotiated charter, Lincoln will operate for a new five‑year term under the revised K–6 configuration and the monitoring and goal‑setting provisions negotiated with the district and reflected in the signed charter presented to the board.