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Souderton Area School District Board of Directors granted a conditional 5-year charter to SCSC on December 19, 2019. The conditions imposed are unlawful according to Charter School Law. SCSC's Board of Trustees remains optimistic that SASD Board of Directors will reconsider and remove the conditions. The deadline to appeal the conditional charter was Friday, January 17, 2020. As such, SCSC's Board voted on January 13, 2020 to appeal SASD's decision. SCSC's entire board resolution can be read here.
Please read here to learn more about how SCSC receives and spends funds on both special education and non-special education students.
SCSC prevailed in the court ruling on February 22, 2021. Click here to read Order 236 Notice (2/23/21).
More good news! Order granting Application to Publish Opinion was issued on March 17, 2023. Click here for more information. (3/17/23)
Charter School Victory!
Court Rules in Favor of Charter School and
Against District
Happy New Year!We are happy to advise that on January 3, 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of the Souderton Charter School Collaborative (“SCSC”) and against the Souderton Area School District (the “District”) affirming the decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County that struck the District’s unilateral amendments to SCSC’s charter.
In December of 2019, the District unilaterally amended SCSC’s charter without agreement by adding two conditions. The District’s conditions mandated that:-
SCSC have identical health care benefits to that of the District; and
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That all of SCSC’s teachers who qualify must apply and receive level II certifications.
The Commonwealth Court agreed with the Court of Common Pleas that the conditions were material amendments without agreement and therefore illegal pursuant to Discovery Charter School v. School District of Philadelphia, 166 A.3d 304 (2017). In its opinion, the Commonwealth Court recognized that for twenty years, SCSC has been one of the most successful charter schools in Pennsylvania.
Our firm successfully represented SCSC in this matter, with the assistance of CEO Jennifer Arevalo, Board President Jenny Marion, and SCSC’s co-founder Wendy Ormsby, who passed away in the fall of 2020 during the course of this litigation. SCSC continues to honor Wendy with its achievements in the classroom and in the courtroom.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Kevin M. McKenna, Esquire
kmckenna@mckennalawllc.com
610-524-8454
Nicole D. Snyder, Esquire
nsnyder@mckennalawllc.com
610-524-8454 -
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SCSC: Top-Ranked Elementary School in PA (U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News and World Report is a multifaceted digital media company dedicated to helping citizens, consumers, business leaders and policy officials make important decisions in their lives.
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SCSC: Ranked #2 PA School District (SchoolDigger)
SchoolDigger's database contains detailed profiles for over 136,000 schools in every state in the US, including 20 years of enrollment data, several years of test scores, crime data, real estate data, and everything our team hopes is useful in helping you make better school choices.
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National Blue Ribbon Schools
Part of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program celebrates school excellence.
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Designated Don Eichhorn Schools to Watch
Through the Schools to Watch® initiative, the National Forum identifies schools across the United States that are well on their way to meeting the Forum’s criteria for high performance, including academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, and social equity.
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Teacher Powered School
In teacher-powered schools, teachers have greater ability to make the dramatic changes that they determine are needed to truly improve student learning and the teaching profession.
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SCSC: Ranked #1 Charter School in PA (Niche.com)
Niche rigorously analyzes dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings, report cards, and profiles for every K-12 school, college, and neighborhood in the U.S.
