SCASD Delta program splitting into two schools, board says

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — The State College Area School District Board of Directors unanimously approved the recommendation to make the Delta Program two schools.

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the school will be broken up by grades. One of the schools will feature 6-8 grade students, or equivalent to middle school, while the other school will have grades 9-12, or equivalent to high school.

The Delta Program’s approval has been discussed since September 2023. During that time, a Delta stakeholder committee assessed the pros and cons of shifting to a school or remaining a program. The committee returned with three options that were presented on May 6 to Superintendent Curtis Johnson: Stay as a program, become two schools in 2024-2025 or become two schools in 2025-26.

With the change, Delta will have their own test and school climate survey data to review, as opposed to having data embedded in the results for the district’s high school and two middle schools. Additionally, Delta will have publicly viewable profiles on online sites for new families, which I previously didn’t have as a program. The change will not prevent students from enrolling in State High classes or limit their participation in high school athletics and extracurricular activities.

Get daily updates on local news, weather and sports by signing up for the WTAJ Newsletter .

Over the next months, a transition committee under the leadership of Delta Director Jon Downs,
the district’s director of educational alternatives, will begin working on the following items:
● Identifying the names of the schools (middle and high)
● Creating a plan for new branding
● Choosing what name will be on diplomas (SCASD with or without school name)
● Identifying if a separate graduation ceremony is desired
● Identifying if a separate awards ceremony is desired
● Identifying if graduation requirements should change
● Creating Delta’s internal profile and compiling data for it

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.