School Board Opposes Norristown Charter School

NORRISTOWN, PA —Developers have received approval from Norristown municipal council to build a charter school on a vacated property in the borough, but the story is far from over. The Norristown Area School Board has opposed the application, and the state must grant final approval of an appeal from the developer.

The vacated property on a 3.1 acre tract of land at 50 W. Brown Street has long been the subject of debate, as council members would prefer it become something other than a charter school.

However, their vote during the municipal council meeting on Aug. 7 was more about the legality of the application from the developer, CSMI Education Management.

Solicitor Sean Kilkenny warned the council that if they rejected the application, CSMI could take the case to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, where he believes they would win. "They've satisfied all of the legal requirements," he noted. He added that such a court case would likely cost the municipality a few thousand dollars in court fees.

The council ultimately voted to approve the measure, 5-1. Councilwoman Rebecca Smith was the lone dissenting vote, but several council members voiced their displeasure with the idea of a charter school in Norristown.

"There are many concerns with the charter program," Councilman Hakim Jones said. "The rankings and ratings, reputation and past performance, (they) draw many concerns."

Jones added that addressing those issues, however, would have to fall to the Norristown School Board and the state.

"The Norristown Area School District is a great school district," Councilwoman Valerie Scott Cooper said. "The competition of charter schools coming to our town could be very not well received."

There's already an existing building in place on the property at 50 W. Brown that could be converted into the school. CSMI went through several stages of reformulating their plan before receiving the recommendation of the Norristown Planning Commission.