At the June 14 Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education meeting, the district held a hearing to continue the discussion about whether or not to renew the charter for Innovative Arts Academy Charter School, 330 Howertown Road.

IAACS was originally approved in February 2016 for a three-year charter. The charter was to expire at the end of the 2018-19 school year, and IAACS is seeking a five-year charter renewal. The school includes grades 6-12.

According to a Jan. 16, 2019, letter between the charter school and CASD, grounds for charter nonrenewal would include the school’s failure to meet Pennsylvania Department of Education standards. Hearings on the issue were held in May 2019, and the vote was postponed to allow more time for IAACS personnel to provide additional information.

During the Jan. 14, 2020, regular board meeting, CASD board members voted unanimously not to renew the charter. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down school buildings and severely impacted the education sector.

CASD board members didn’t want to interfere with the education of the students at such a tumultuous time, so they allowed the school to continue during the pandemic. The board also decided to give the school another opportunity to present more evidence and to once again make their case for renewal, resulting in this latest hearing.

Representing IAACS was Attorney Marc Fisher and IAACS CEO Brad Schifko. At the time of the original hearings, Schifko was the transitional CEO, having been recently promoted. He had earlier served as a counselor and assistant principal at the school.

It was noted new data should be considered differently since the COVID-19 pandemic had such an impact on students and education.

Before Schifko’s testimony, Adilali Hassanali, the valedictorian of the IAACS Class of 2022, spoke. He noted he has been with the school since it opened and has seen it grow and develop over the years.

He mentioned the school had some rough spots at the start but that it has changed and developed more in recent years.

“The school really helped me,” he noted, adding he probably would have been home-schooled otherwise.

He said he lives in Allentown and “could have fallen in with the wrong crowd” if he didn’t have IAACS as a “safe haven.”

Schifko talked about the process of adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the school responded, such as distributing technology to assist students with virtual and hybrid learning.

He reported the number of economically disadvantaged students at IAACS is higher than at Catasauqua High School and some Allentown School District buildings. He also noted the number of special education students increased.

Schifko said, after taking over as CEO, one of his goals was to bolster the school’s special education program. He said the school hired a new director of the program who has identified needs and ways to help.

He also said they have been working with SOS, a consulting group comprised of former educators and administrators. This group has helped identify areas of need and has helped to develop and improve upon these areas.

In the original charter, it was predicted 74% of the school’s enrollment would come from CASD. According to enrollment data from the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, 90% of the students were from ASD, with less than 2% coming from CASD. The 2021-22 school year saw approximately 85% of students come from ASD. There were 17 students enrolled from CASD.

Schifko reported the school has a shifting enrollment. The number of transient families moving in and out of the area was reported as being part of the problem with keeping students year after year. Schifko also said this makes comparing scores difficult since it is a constantly shifting population.

In the past, retention has been a problem, but he reported the rate of students staying at IAACS for the entire school year has increased since the last hearing.

When the school opened, Schifko reported there was a loose comprehensive plan. He noted that plan has been more solidified and developed since his promotion to CEO. He said he used a lot of the information and concerns that came out in the original hearings to help inform the plan.

This work on the comprehensive plan, as well as his work with SOS and other outside groups and consultants, has led to a list of new initiatives and programs for the school. Some of these are implemented, some are in progress and some are planned for the future.

Initiatives include, but are not limited to, a revision of the core curriculum, development of an after-school program, implementation of a bench mark initiative, development of a multitiered support system, a 1:1 Chromebook initiative, increased ELA and reading periods for middle school grades, implementation of a credit recovery program, adjustment to the master schedule, increase of familiarity with standardized testing formats and more.

Schifko reported he has seen progress with these new initiatives.

He reported the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System data for 2019-20 versus 2020-21 showed growth. It was noted the numbers are still below the state requirements, but growth could be seen. This was said to be an indicator of progress.

“Our scores are not where we want them to be, but our efforts are working. We’re making headway,” Schifko said. “I’m really proud of that.”

He also noted the PVAAS scores show more growth for IAACS during the 2020-21 year than for schools in ASD and CASD.

Spengler asked about tracking attendance and follow-up during the period of virtual learning. Schifko reported the school had a team specifically chosen to keep track and address attendance concerns during that time.

Spengler also asked if the school had received ESSER (Emergency and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds to help implement any of the new initiatives and, if so, was there a plan for after the ESSER funds stop.

The ESSER funds were awarded to help address the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Schifko, the school received approximately $3 million in ESSER funds. He also noted they are working with a consultant to identify other federal funding to help continue those new initiatives.

Other concerns raised by board members included the number of and qualifications for the special education teachers at the school, retention and re-enrollment rates, reasons for students leaving and the virtual learning schedule.

Board Treasurer Donald Panto asked if there had been any exploration into how and what the IAACS students do after graduating. He noted this could be a “powerful metric” to measure the results of the school’s efforts.

“You can assess something by the results,” he said, adding he was curious to see what the students do after graduating.

He said he shares the same interest in the students who graduate from CHS.

Schifko reported the Class of 2022 had 62 seniors. He noted 55 of them graduated at the end of the year and a handful needed to finish some summer courses.

According to Schifko, approximately 90% of the IAACS graduates report going to college, the military or vocational school. Hassanali, the Class of 2022 valedictorian, noted he received a full scholarship to attend Muhlenberg College.

Schifko spoke passionately about how he cares not only about the students at IAACS, but for the surrounding community as well.

“I’m a resident of Catasauqua,” he said. “I just want our students to be successful. I want to help build the community.”

His goal is for sustainability and longevity of the school, and he asked the board for more time to make it happen.

“I ask you to work with me,” Schifko said. “Give me more time to build my team.”

He noted he does not want to have an adversarial relationship with CASD administration and the board. He invited all of them to stop by and visit the school to see the programs in person. He also asked for increased conversation and communication, so he can “pick their brains” and absorb as many ways as possible to help serve the students.

Board Secretary Jason Bashaw noted he appreciates the passion with which Schifko speaks about his school and students but that the board needs to see more results at a faster pace.

“We are stewards of the community,” Bashaw said. “Our tax dollars are going to your school.”

He noted community members look to the board and ask why the taxes keep rising and why they are funding the school. Bashaw said they need more results to justify the charter and its costs for the community.

There will be a 30-day public comment window before the final vote. Community members are encouraged to send any comments to the district administrative office, c/o board President Duane Deitrich, located at 201 N. 14th St., Catasauqua, 18032.

The final vote is expected to be taken Aug. 9. The meeting begins 7 p.m. in the district administration building.