A former South Carolina educator says he remains on track to open a new school in Arnold in just over a year. Matt DeHart, founder of the Teach from DeHart Foundation , plans to open Teach from DeHart Academy, a middle school, for the 2025-26 school year. It will be housed at 1704 Fourth Ave.
, once a public elementary school that most recently had been Alle-Kiski Pavilion, a halfway house that closed in 2019. The foundation bought the property in 2022 . DeHart, 28, was a fifth grade teacher for three years in Greenville, S.
C. He and his wife of five years, Kaylie, a New Kensington native, moved to Harrison a year ago. Since moving to the Alle-Kiski Valley area, DeHart has been tutoring, working as a substitute teacher at St.
Joseph High School and Harvest Baptist Academy, and working in the food and beverage department at Oakmont Country Club. His wife works remotely in customer service. Final designs for the school are being prepared with work expected to start in January, DeHart said.
He says about $250,000 has been raised toward a goal of $3 million to $5 million. Demolition inside the building has been largely completed, DeHart told a gathering of family, friends and supporters of the school at a recent fundraising event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Boards have been removed from the doors and windows of the building, and parts of the exterior have been painted to show signs of life.
“We’ve seen people in the comm.