SUNY Committee Does Not Block Controversial Williamsburg Charter School
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The State University of New York's Charter School Committee has failed to block a controversial new school from opening in Williamsburg.
After meeting with lawyers, the committee concluded it is not able to stop charter schools based on concerns over location.
Some Williamsburg community leaders say the Success Academy Charter School is not wanted in their neighborhood.
SUNY had given the initial approval for the latest school in the charter chain, but the Department of Education determines where schools are actually located.
"The degree of opposition that we heard today from so many elected officials, from so many members of the community, really raised a number of concerns for us about where the support lies for this school. And that I think led to us questioning the decision to place it in that particular location," said SUNY Board member Pedro Noguera. "It's clear that the governor's office, the State Department of Education, someone needs to provide some leadership here, because it is not healthy for communities to be this polarized and for there to be this much conflict over positions pertaining to charter schools."
The DOE held a hearing last week about the proposal.
Most of the crowd in attendance was opposed to the plan.
Some parents accused the charter of only marketing to wealthy residents - but supporters say the area needs more alternatives to failing schools.