Sound Off: How Should the Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners Vote on Young Scholars on April 5?

Representatives from both Newport Drive Properties and the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School appeared in front of both the Baldwin Township Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners .

After reviewing application materials and interviewing the applicants, the Baldwin Township Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the township's Board of Commissioners grant the approval.

The Board of Commissioners also reviewed the application materials and interviewed the applicants on March 28 but will not decide the applicants' fate until it meets again at the Baldwin Township municipal building on Tuesday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m.

That is a public meeting, and Baldwin Township residents are free to speak.

Should the board approve the application, Newport Drive Properties would own Young Scholars' proposed township space (600 Newport Drive). Newport Drive Properties is owned by Dream Schools, Inc., and functions solely for the purpose of owning 600 Newport and leasing it out to Young Scholars.

Young Scholars' representative in front of township officials on March 28, Melih Demirkan, said that Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania does not have any formal or official affiliation with any other schools, but Demirkan also said that his school has a "sister school" in Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School.

Demirkan said that the Western Pa. school would have a similar curriculum as the Central Pa. school and that some of the proposed Western Pa. school’s board members have previously worked at the Central Pa. school.

“That’s the only affiliation that we have with the school in State College,” he said. “If you look at our curriculum system, it’s very similar. We have small adjustments to the local community here.”

The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School has seen its share of controversy, according to this article published in the Centre Daily Times on March 22.

That article reads:

"The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School in Ferguson Township is one of more than 100 charter schools across the country that are the (sic) part of a federal investigation, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday(, March 20).

"A spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney's Office would not confirm the report Monday, (March 21,) saying the office does not comment on anything that is or may be under investigation.

"The newspaper cited unidentified knowledgeable sources to say that 'federal agencies — including the FBI and the departments of Labor and Education — are investigating whether some charter school employees are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement founded by (Fethullah) Gulen,' a major Islamic political figure in Turkey.

"Attorneys for Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the Poconos, argued that he had 'overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world' when he successfully argued to be granted a green card in the United States."

Gulen's website can be seen here.

Given the Centre Daily Times report, should the Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners approve Demirkan's school? Should it revisit the school's application at a later date?

Would it be fair to deny the school's application (or even wait on a decision) given that the "sister school" has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing yet?

Even then, would it be fair to judge one school on the alleged actions of another school?

After all, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has granted accreditation to the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School.

What are your thoughts?

Young Scholars' application looks good enough to the Baldwin Township Planning Commission, but how does it look to you?

The 600 Newport Drive lot is the former Rolling Hills Manor property.

Young Scholars hopes to enroll students in kindergarten through fifth grade this coming fall with the intention of eventually adding students up to eighth grade.