3 Sussex charters ask for more legislative help

Officials from three Sussex County charter schools told state representatives Thursday they need more legislative support to best support their students and communities.

“We don’t have the available resources for a wellness center,” said Eric Anderson, head of Sussex Academy. “Our kids are like any other, and they need these supports.”

His school hosted a joint breakfast that included Sussex Montessori, the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, local education groups and a few state legislators. 

Anderson pointed out that charters rarely receive capital funding from the state, unlike district schools.

“We have to raise money ourselves for most projects,” he said, “and that’s money that’s being taken out of the classroom.” 

Rep. Rich Collins, R-Millsboro, who sits on the House Education Committee, said some Delaware legislators feel unfavorably to charters.

“That’s why it’s crucial you have lobbyists,” Collins said. 

Anderson said charters do, and pointed to Kendall Massett, executive director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network.

Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Magnolia, said it’s important for legislators to come to events such as the joint breakfast. 

“We need to find a way to get legislators in the room and listen to schools,” he said. “Education is rooted in everything and it’s where the fight is, because children are our leaders of tomorrow.”

The breakfast also allowed the Sussex charters to showcase themselves, listing enrollment, core values and classroom philosophies. 

Chantelle Ashford, head of Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, a charter that will open this fall, said equity is one of her school’s core values. 

To truly achieve that, she said there needs to be universal access to local resources, which again starts with the legislature. 

Stevenson School’s other principles are excellence, community, hope and voice, she said.

Sussex Montessori, which has 403 students enrolled, states its mission is “to nurture the development of empathetic, collaborative, persistent and innovative global and community citizens in accordance with the time-tested philosophy of Maria Montessori.”

Its Head of School Lisa Coldiron said a strong community bond and partnership is important for the success of any school.

“These children aren’t just children of one school, but they’re all of our children. They’re Delaware’s children,” she said. “We have to own that and collectively put them in the best position to succeed, regardless of what school they come from.”

Sussex Academy’s Anderson agreed, saying that charters by nature are meant to serve specific needs and one school might meet a child’s needs better. 

“But if we all work together,” he said, “we collectively can have everything for everyone.”

Sussex Academy, which grew in enrollment during the pandemic after it began offering classes for grades six through eight, now has 1,118 students.

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The charter’s mission is “to foster academic achievement and social responsibility in a small school environment where students participate in a highly accelerated college preparatory program that prepares them for the technological and global mindedness needed for the 21st century and that instills ethical conduct and service to others in their day-to-day lives.”

The need for collaboration echoed throughout comments during the breakfast. 

“Just like charters and district schools need to break down the barrier, let’s break down the barrier between Sussex, Kent and New Castle County,” said Caroline O’Neal, executive director of Reading Assist. “We aren’t different countries, and we need to work together.”