As the State College Area School District considers moving the Delta Program from being a program into its own school, many parents say they don't understand the reasons behind the proposed change and are asking the district administration to pause the process.
During a Parent Teacher Student Organization meeting Wednesday, parents and students took turns at microphones after listening to a presentation by Assistant Superintendent Jonathan Bucher and Delta Program Director Jon Downs.
Downs said not everyone on the committee reviewing the proposal sees eye-to-eye on it. He said the recommendation to the administration and school board will include those varying opinions.
"We're not rushing to do this," he said. "We're rushing to do this correctly. We're going to take our time."
Like others who spoke during the meeting, Heather Winfield, a parent and member of that committee reviewing the options for the Delta Program, wants the process to slow down.
“Never was it sold to us all of the benefits of becoming a school. I’m sure there would be, but we need to know what those are," Winfield said.
The Delta Program is an alternative middle and high school program in the State College Area School District. It’s in its 50th year. And along with having a smaller number of students, it encourages a democratic, community-focused environment. There’s currently a waiting list for the Delta Program.
The district administration points to several reasons for changing Delta from a program to a separate school. Those include having test score data specifically for Delta and increasing its visibility to new families.
But parents like Jen Nourse seemed skeptical.
“I don’t understand the urgency," she said. "I don’t understand the rush. I don’t understand the timing.”
The school board is scheduled to hear, but not vote on, a presentation on the proposal March 25.
For the change to take effect this fall, the district would need to submit its plan to the state Department of Education by July 31.
