The application for a STEAM Charter School was wholeheartedly rejected by parents and residents attending the Dec. 18 school board meeting. Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law requires all new applicants to provide at least one public hearing. BASD will have two, the second scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024.

Retired superintendent of Easton School District Dave Piperato made this initial presentation. Piperato is currently employed as a consultant to the Pennsylvania STEAM academy/Charter solutions LLC, and specifically the Bethlehem project. He is on the founding board and said he would like to stay on the board if a charter is granted. Piperato fielded a barrage of questions from school district attorney Alice Peterson.

Piperato said incorporating the “A” for Arts instruction into the classic STEM approach is more holistic and offers a well-rounded education for all students.

Charter schools are independently run public schools paid for by tax dollars, authorized and primarily funded by the school districts from which their students come. Bethlehem currently is home to three.

Charter Solutions LLC.is an entity associated with developer Abraham Atyieh. Currently Charter Solutions has three applications for charter schools in the Lehigh Valley; Allentown, Whitehall and this Bethlehem project. Peterson asked Piperato whether the overlapping start up of three Charter Schools could compromise a project in Bethlehem. Piperato dodged the question and repeatedly said he would only talk about Bethlehem, and not the other projects. All three proposed charter schools will lease properties developed by Atyieh.

The public comment portion of the hearing brought forth a deluge of concerned citizens and parents. Every speaker favored the concept of STEAM within the current public school system. No one supported diverting taxpayer moneys into these separate schools.

Bethlehem resident Heather Irvin raised concerns regarding funding another charter school and was not impressed with Piperato’s presentation. “Three current charter schools take money away from established programs within the district,” she said.

Parent Angela Vennemann said the charter school would be a disservice to students since it would not have a guidance counselor or the vast resources that BASD provides. Parent Trisha Moller said she sees no need for the new charter school. “It’s a duplication of services – BASD already provides quality education.” Alumni parent Peter Mayes said, “BASD leads the valley in technology, arts and education – it’s insulting to consider that a charter school could provide a better education than what [students] currently get.”

The next regular meeting and second public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at East Hills MS. The board has until March 2, 2024 to make a final decision on this application.