Wow. Just wow. I just watched a sham of a hearing by the SUNY board, where they approved the plan to open Capital Prep Charter School in New Rochelle. https://vimeo.com/1018760883  The board listened to 1 disgruntled resident with no children in the school system. They listened to one disingenuous director, who “devised the plan” while sitting at a party on Martha’s Vineyard the year before, and one superintendent of a charter in Bridgeport. New Rochelle is not Bridgeport. We’re not Harlem. And we’re not The Bronx.  Those schools are riddled in controversy, they have high turnover rates of teachers and staff, and are performing no better than our schools. 

Over 40 community members, educators, parents and students spoke against opening a charter in New Rochelle back in August. Even our Senator, who chairs the Education Committee in the State Senate spoke in opposition, but 3 voices in a room were enough for the SUNY board. The pastor who applied for the school didn’t speak at either forum. Thousands of residents and employees sent letters and emails to the board. Thousands. Our opposition to the charter was reduced to a resident who called us “2nd chance staff”.

Most people who spoke against the charter at the public hearing in the summer live, work AND send or sent our children to New Rochelle public schools. Even the person who sat on the Vineyard with Perry to “devise the plan” to open this charter school has 2 very successful children who graduated from New Rochelle Public Schools. 

If the goal is to empower and uplift the Black students in New Rochelle, how is the solution to take a few from our schools and remove millions of dollars from all the others who remain in the traditional school system?  If the goal is truly uplifting our community, the solution is to empower parents to advocate for their children. To work with the BOE to bring in programs and create policies to address systemic problems within the city. Our superintendent is willing to do that. 

People might ask “Why didn’t that happen before?” Well, this is the first superintendent who hasn’t been run out of town in years. He and his cabinet have been making significant changes throughout the school district in the past couple of years. If the SUNY board bothered to have a conversation with the people who actually serve the children in our school district, there is no way they would have agreed to this charter. 

The one disgruntled person who spoke against the charter said the kids are not happy going to school. What kids? The kids entering my school are excited to be there. They are greeted each day by the principal in front of the school hugging and high-fiving everyone. He knows them all by name and our parents trust him. That person said we have overcrowded classrooms. Where? I’ve never had more than 24 students since 1999, when I started teaching in New Rochelle.  

Two very excited 9th graders (who I taught in 4th grade) walked by my house on their way home from school just this week. They screamed my name and ran over to tell me how well they are doing, how excited they are to be in HS and how they are both on the wrestling team. I told them I was proud of them and they should keep up the great work. 

That’s who we are in New Rochelle. A community. It is about education, not money for us. 

And can we talk about the Diddy connection to Capital Prep? His name might be off of their walls, but connections to Bad Boy remain. That’s a story for another day…

Aisha Cook

(Far from a second chance ) Teacher

New Rochelle Public Schools