Board of Education seeks public comment at NRHS Linda Kelly Auditorium

The New Rochelle Board of Education will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday, July 30, at 6:00 pm, to hear public comment on the application by Capital Preparatory Schools, Inc., to open a charter school in New Rochelle next year.  The town hall meeting will take place in Linda Kelly Auditorium at New Rochelle High School, 265 Clove Road. 

Capital Prep proposes to open its school in the fall of 2025 with 150 students in kindergarten and grades 6 and 7, and to grow to 600 students in kindergarten through grade 11 by 2029.  Funding for the charter school would come from New Rochelle residents’ school taxes, but the school would not be accountable to the Board of Education or the taxpayers. 

The State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees will evaluate Capital Prep’s application later this year and invites public comment on the proposal.  The deadline for public comment is Thursday, August 1.  In addition to speaking at the town hall on Tuesday, members of the public may comment in writing to the SUNY Charter Schools Institute (charters@suny.edu).  School Superintendent Dr. Corey Reynolds (creynolds@nredlearn.org) is also accepting letters that will be bundled and sent to SUNY before the deadline. 

Those wishing to speak at the town hall can sign up in advance by sending an email to rsabree@nredlearn.org or by calling 914-576-4219.

Proponents of the charter school have expressed the hope that a charter school might help address continuing educational disparities in the New Rochelle school system.  Opponents of the school—including the Superintendent, the entire Board of Education, and the school district employees’ union—have said there is no proof that Capital Prep’s other schools perform better than public schools, adding that  a charter school would harm students by diverting needed funds from essential programs in the public school system.  Opponents  also note that Capital Prep’s Harlem school has suffered from problems common among charter schools, such as low pay, high staff turnover, and lack of accountability to parents.

In recent months, New RoAR News has published an introduction to charter schools, a report on the problems at Capital Prep’s Harlem school, and commentaries on charter schools by educators Aisha Cook, Dr. Carla Woolbright, Dr. Rosa Rivera-McCutchen, and Dr. Alisse Waterston.  Further information on charter schools can also be found on the website of the New Rochelle City School District.