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Tensions Rise at Charter School Public Hearing Tensions Rise at Charter School Public Hearing

Syracuse residents are divided on the benefits of a new charter school

By Sarah Al-Shaikh

The Syracuse City School District Office
© 2019 Sarah Al-Shaikh

Anchor: Tensions ran high at a public hearing on a proposed local charter school. N-C-C’s Sarah Al-Shaikh, reports on why people are divided on whether the charter school helps or hurts the Syracuse City School District.

Reporter: It’s been two months since an application for the Emerald Charter School was submitted to the state, and the lines have been drawn. On one side, you have parents like Stacey Conkwright, who says her daughter would benefit from the new charter school.

Stacey Conkwright: She needs the smaller classrooms. Her current classroom she just walks out of because it’s so chaotic and she can’t think or anything.

Reporter: But on the other side, you have community members like Monique Wright-Williams, who passionately oppose the charter school, because she says, it hurts city school students.

Monique Wright-Williams: Every time a charter takes kids from the district and the district receives insufficient amounts of money to provide the appropriate services to the students, the community suffers.

Reporter: The Syracuse school district now must submit all community input to Albany, and the state Board of Regents then approves or denies the application. Sarah Al-Shaikh, N-C-C News.

By Sarah Al-Shaikh SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)— The new school year is around the corner, and a proposed addition to the school district has some residents excited, and others concerned.

The newly proposed Emerald Charter School has both supporters and critics with strong feelings about the school. Those emotions came to the forefront at the Syracuse City School District’s public hearing.

Among the crowd was local mother, Stacey Conkwright, who said her daughter is struggling in the standard school setting. She believed a charter school is the better option.

“She’s basically getting lost in the cracks… She needs the smaller classrooms.”

Syracuse charter school teacher, Amina Foco, agreed with Conkwright and spoke about her strong relationship with her students’ parents.

Foco said, “I can’t tell you how often I actually call a parent after school and tell them, ‘Hey, it was a pretty bad week for your student, but today was a really good day.’ ”

Not everyone agreed with their views, and many others stepped up to the podium noticeably frustrated.

One of the charter critics was Syracuse School Board Commissioner, Patricia Body. Body immediately took to the podium after Foco, criticizing what Foco just said.

“We do exactly what the prior speaker has said… We have teachers who buy their children clothing, who buy them prom dresses, that takes them home.”

Some charter school critics argued the charter takes funds and resources away from the city school students. One of those critics was community member, Monique Wright-Williams.

“Every time a charter takes kids from the district and the district receives insufficient amounts of money to provide the appropriate services to the students, the community suffers,” she said.

While the public hearing was only an hour, charter school critics and supporters continued their discussions amongst one another, even after the hearing ended.

The Syracuse City School District now must submit all community input to Albany, and the state Board of Regents then approves or denies the application.

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