Board Chooses Memorial Field Option, Discusses School Charter

Among the items on the agenda at last night’s State College Area school board meeting were the on-going discussion of issues surrounding Memorial Field renovations and expanding a local school’s charter.



The Memorial Field debate has been on-going for the past several school board meetings, proposing anything from a temporary fix to a fully remodeled stadium, ranging in cost from $100,000 to over $7.5 million.  Last night, the board decided to take one of the simpler options and approved advertising for bids to replace the home-side bleacher boards with aluminum.  The project is projected to cost $200,000.



The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania charter school gave a presentation to the board at a recent meeting outlining their proposal to expand their charter to include grades six to eight.  Though the board seemed skeptical following the initial presentation a few weeks ago, they were more supportive on Monday evening, due in large part to a number of letters and discussion from parents and students.



Many parents and students, as well as Bulent Tarman, the school’s executive director, have explained that students who transition from the charter school to a district middle school have not been able to learn languages at an advanced level that they were offered at the charter school.



Board members have yet to make a decision on the school’s charter expansion proposal.