Young Scholars Officials Say That B-W's Refugee Population Was Targeted

Founders of the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School, which will , said that they chose to open their public charter school in the  because of its , according to a May 26 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.

The Post-Gazette reports that Young Scholars' representatives specifically called out , which has the highest refugee population in Western Pennsylvania.

The B-W School District is currently considering that sets aside $300,000 to cover projected increase in charter school tuition as a result of losing enrollment to Young Scholars.

B-W Superintendent Dr. Lawrence C. Korchnak reported that, as of May 18, 29 students from the B-W School District were officially enrolled at Young Scholars, including 13 in kindergarten, four in first grade, four in second grade, five in third and three in fourth.

Any student in kindergarten through fifth grade can apply for admission to Young Scholars, but first preference for admission is given to Baldwin-Whitehall residents since the charter school lies within that district's boundaries (600 Newport Drive in ).

After at least one academic year, Young Scholars would like to eventually include students up to eighth grade.

Young Scholars' stance on refugees has changed 180 degrees since March.

Melih Demirkan, president of , was asked by a Baldwin Township resident if Young Scholars chose the Baldwin-Whitehall area because of its large refugee population.

"They (refugees) are not our target students," Demirkan said in March, "for the record. We will have a stronger ESL (English as a Second Language) program than regular public schools, but we are not targeting any particular student demography."