A cyber charter school bought the former Penn Skates building. Here are their plans
The largest virtual school in Pennsylvania purchased a former skating rink in Centre County for $1.5 million and plans to transform the building into a hub for students and teachers.
Commonwealth Charter Academy bought the former Penn Skates building in October. The facility at 2210 High Tech Drive in Benner Township has 21,600 square feet of floor space.
The cyber charter school that teaches grades K-12 plans to renovate building and reopen it as a family service center, school spokesperson Tim Eller said Monday.
Teachers would be able to conduct classes from the facility, while families could visit for in-person meetings with administrators and other school personnel. CCA operates 11 family service centers across the state.
The tentative plan is to reopen the building in early 2023, Eller said. About 40 workers could be employed at the facility.
“CCA’s goal of opening family service centers is to ensure that students and families have access to a CCA facility that is within a 45-minute to 1-hour drive so they can receive support and assistance from teachers and administrators, and attend events, including field trips,” Eller wrote in an email. “We also like to be a part of the community and allowing the community to use our facilities for meetings and other activities.”
There are 82 students from Centre County enrolled at the school, Eller wrote. That’s a fraction of the more than 16,000 students enrolled statewide, according to state Department of Education.
The school saw steady enrollment increases annually since it was founded in 2003, but growth accelerated as the coronavirus pandemic unfolded. Enrollment nearly doubled since the start of the 2019 school year.
Public school enrollment statewide decreased by about 1.7% from 2019 to 2020, according to PDE data. That’s about 28,500 students throughout the Keystone State.
State College Area, Bellefonte Area and Bald Eagle Area school districts were below that rate, while Penns Valley Area and Philipsburg-Osceola Area school districts each saw an about 2% decline in enrollment.