District recommends denial of Community Charter School of the Arts application; applicants urge approval

The Bethlehem Area School District administration on June 15 recommended that the school board deny the Community Charter School of the Arts (CCSA) application, citing what administrators described as insufficient community support, curricular and operational shortcomings, and concerns about the proposed school’s ability to serve students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

"The district administration of the Bethlehem Area School District recommends that the board of school directors of the Bethlehem Area School District deny the application of the Community Charter School of the Arts," said Dr. Moren Lee, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer, presenting the district’s evaluation and marking the recommendation in the record (Exhibit 8). Dr. Lee told the board the administration’s review found limited local letters of support, survey data that did not demonstrate Bethlehem-family demand, incomplete curriculum documentation, and a budget that relied on an ambitious enrollment projection of 1,125 students in the first year.

The recommendation was framed around four broad concerns: lack of sustained local community and parent support; academic and curricular deficiencies (particularly in early literacy, math pacing and middle-school STEAM); operational and financial instability (no year‑zero startup budget and unresolved retirement/benefit treatment); and inadequate special-education and English-learner services. Dr. Lee said the application projects roughly 1,125 students in year one with about 18% — roughly 203 students — expected to receive special-education services but lists only six special-education teachers, a mismatch the administration said raises compliance and service‑delivery questions.

"These gaps raise a serious concern about whether the applicant can provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for all students from day one of operation," Dr. Lee said, summarizing the administration’s view.

Applicant representatives disputed those conclusions in a closing presentation. Thomas Taylor, the applicant’s business manager, said the retirement-plan critique overstates the risk: he argued that charter operators commonly adopt 403(b) plans after authorization and that financial plans submitted for a school not yet authorized are routinely adapted to actual enrollment and timing. "If those students don't come in... we would address that accordingly and adapt to how many students we are," Taylor said, describing typical enrollment-driven adjustments to staffing and facility use.

Principal-designate Crystal McCullum and counsel Daniel Fenick emphasized partnerships and programmatic experience. McCullum pointed to the Arts Academy Elementary Charter School model, cited exhibitions and partnerships with nearby institutions, and said CCSA intends an arts center that would serve both students and community partners. Fenick said the applicant has contractual lease allowances and landlord support for renovations, and he noted the Arts Academy’s existing wait list as evidence of demand.

Board members pressed the applicants on facilities and scheduling. The applicant described a three-building-site plan (1660, 1650 and a proposed new gym/art-studio building) and said renovation timelines vary by building: cosmetic work to 1640/1650 versus structural construction in 1660 (estimated four to eight months, target about six months) and a new gym to be built on-site. Landlord Lisa Pector (Penamp Properties) told the board there is a tenant‑relocation plan and a lease allowance to cover renovation costs.

On timing, the applicant acknowledged a contingency: if Bethlehem’s Fountain Hill Elementary remains in place longer than anticipated, CCSA might not open at the traditional start of the school year. The applicant said it had not yet sought formal guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education about opening mid‑year but believed it was possible and offered to be flexible.

The administration also highlighted curriculum concerns: reviewers reported missing pages, repetition across grade-level plans, weak early literacy alignment to Pennsylvania structured‑literacy requirements, limited math pacing, and an absence of a developed middle‑school STEAM progression. Dr. Lee said those curricular gaps and the lack of specified assessments and intervention structures made it difficult to conclude the program would reliably deliver state standards.

The hearing record contains documentation on both sides: the district’s evaluation and slide deck were marked as exhibits and the applicant provided a slide deck and curricular materials the board may review. Applicant counsel said parts of the curriculum were withheld in the hearing packet only to keep the submission manageable but offered to provide full documentation as part of the record.

No public commenters spoke at the hearing. The board set procedural deadlines: the transcript is expected by June 29, and proposed findings of fact and law may be submitted two weeks after transcript receipt (around July 13); the board did not vote on the application at this meeting.

What’s next: the district and applicant will file written proposed findings if they choose, the board will review the hearing record and exhibits, and the board will schedule a decision per Policy 140 timelines. The record as created on June 15 will be used for the board’s deliberation.

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this report are identified from the hearing record: Dr. Moren Lee (assistant superintendent and chief academic officer, Bethlehem Area School District); Jack Silva (superintendent); Daniel Fenick (applicant counsel); Thomas Taylor (applicant/business manager); Crystal McCullum (principal-designate); Lisa Pector (landlord/representative of Penamp Properties).