Credit: Mike Kalasnik/Flickr/Creative Commons
After a years-long effort, MaST-Neshaminy Charter School is determined to open their facility within the confines of the Neshaminy School District.
At the school board meeting Tuesday evening, the school board unanimously voted to have MaST submit a more clear outline of their plan to open a K-12 charter school at the site of the Sears located in the Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown. A new hearing on matter is scheduled before the school board for Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m.
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Due to the fact the charter school is looking to create a new annexed building at the current site of Sears, it is assumed the retailer will close in the coming months. However, the mall has not commented and a request for comment sent to Sears was not returned.
MaST has been working to open a charter school in the district since 2012. They were initially denied by the school board and fought the decision. In 2017, the school board begrudgingly approved MaST-Neshaminy Charter School’s application after a state court ruled in its favor.
MaST focuses their efforts on math, science, and technology, offering unique educational experiences to its students. Currently, the school has two campuses in Philadelphia and was recently approved for a third.
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“We’re not going away,” MaST CEO John Swoyer told the school board.
Swoyer said MaST wants to become a “partner to the community” and has every intention to open within Neshaminy.
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A few residents spoke in support of MaST’s plan to come into Neshaminy.
The charter school initially looked at numerous locations to open their facility, including locations at Wheeler Court and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Middletown. However, many of the buildings initially considered are no longer available due to the amount of time that has elapsed.
When MaST submitted their list of applications with the district years ago, the mall was not interested in having a charter school open on their property. In the years since, things have changed, according to MaST representatives.
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MaST has a $9.6 million letter of intent in place to purchase the Sears store and construct their own facility. Developer John Parsons of BSI Construction said he is ready to begin the process to open the charter school for fall if the school board approves the location.
One concern mentioned by the school board was the fact that the Sears building would come off the tax rolls if it becomes a charter school. Neshaminy solicitor John Torrente estimated the district could lose more than $100,000 per year if the charter school opens at that location.
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Parsons said he approached the district about the closed Oliver Heckman Elementary School in Langhorne but they did not give him a firm answer.
The charter school proposed for the mall would offer unmatched educational opportunities and possible internship opportunities at nearby businesses for older students, Swoyer said.
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MaST has parents and students ready for the charter school to open once a location is readied, Swoyer said.
Also at the school board meeting, a number of district support staff made their voices heard that they were against any further outsourcing of positions in the transportation department.
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