Supporters rally for charter school
Lynn Werner marvels at the progress of her son, eighth-grader Aiden Faulkner, who has thrived at Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence after struggling in his home district in Millsboro.
“He now has A-plus grades, B-pluses,” Werner said. “He has friends he talks to.”
Werner spoke during a March 9 public hearing, urging the state to keep the school open and predicting many of the students will fail if they return to their home districts.
“We’re just asking they have another year so these kids can continue to get the education they need,” Werner said. “This community needs this school. We can’t have this school close.”
She and her son were among about 50 faculty, staff and families connected with the school who pleaded with state education officials for more time to stave off a proposal to close the charter school.
“This year has been one of tremendous growth,” said Head of School Raushann Austin at the public hearing. “We are marching forward in the right direction and maintaining a commitment to community, students and staff.”
During the hearing at Delaware Technical Community College’s Owens Campus in Georgetown, school officials said that after an initial decline, enrollment and finances stabilized, and they plan to attract more students.
The hour-and-a-half-long hearing gathered information that Education Secretary Cindy Marten will consider in her recommendation to the Delaware Board of Education at its Thursday, March 19 meeting.
In February, the state Charter School Accountability Committee recommended closing the school due to enrollment, financial and organizational concerns.
Enrollment at the Georgetown charter school slipped from the initial 230 when its doors opened in September 2024 on the campus of Delaware Tech to 153 at the end of December 2024.
Austin said Feb. 18 that the number of students fell to about 123 by the start of its second school year last September, shortly after she was hired, and has remained at about that level.
School leaders objected to the state’s assessment of the school at the public hearing, saying enrollment was the only issue of concern, although they expect to see improvement.
“The school has been open for one full year and seven months, 207 days,” said Theresa Berry, chair of the school’s board. “I firmly oppose the recommendation put forth by the CSAC Committee to close the school. Additionally, the school was working with a balanced budget.”
Berry is a first cousin to Bryan Allen Stevenson, a Milton native who is a lawyer, professor at New York University School of Law, and founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative. She is also a cousin of the school’s founder, Rep. Alonna Berry, D-Milton.
“From our experience, the majority of the concerns brought forward by the Department of Education were primarily based on our first-year experience,” said Katherine Cauley, a school board of directors member.
“In our second year, we have completely turned things around,” Cauley said. “We are operating with a balanced budget, a stable enrollment and a fabulous school staff.”
School nurse Cynthia Couch recounted the changes she saw at the school after the chaotic first days.
“I’ve seen them change,” Couch said. “I’ve seen so much maturity. Their attitudes have changed. Between classes, it’s a quiet walk. There’s no running up and down the hallway. There’s no shouting and screaming. They’ve learned to respect themselves. They’ve learned to know who they are. They know that they are in what we call a safe place.”
Much of the credit belongs to the staff, which struggled to start a school from scratch, she said.
“These people were wearing 15 hats,” Couch said. “They were doing everything to make sure these students got what they needed. The compassion, the patience, the time that I’ve seen them give these students...”
She said she worries that students will suffer if the school closes and they have to return to their home schools.
Berry’s husband, Ronald Berry Jr., retired in January as an administrator for Capital School District. He has been volunteering at Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence. He said he has a proven record as a football coach and teacher in attracting students to participate in programs.
“Give me, along with BASSE, the opportunity to recruit the kids,” Berry said. “Give us a year to do what we need to do.”
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
