NEW ROCHELLE, NY (October 11, 2024) — The SUNY Board of Trustees Charter Schools Committee met on Wednesday, October 9 at the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan.
The SUNY Charter Schools Institute voted to unanimously approve the application of Capital Preparatory New Rochelle Charter School.
Capital Prep New Rochelle Resolution
Capital Prep New Rochelle Findings
Actual vote is in final minutes of this 30 minute video:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The board of trustees of Capital Prep Charter Schools NY (“Capital Prep Schools NY” or the “education corporation”), a not-for-profit charter school education corporation authorized by the State University of New York Board of Trustees (the “SUNY Trustees”) to operate two schools, Capital Preparatory Bronx Charter School (“Capital Prep Bronx”), and Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School (“Capital Prep Harlem”), seeks the authority to operate one additional charter school to be located in a private facility in New Rochelle. The education corporation submitted the proposal for authority to operate Capital Preparatory Charter School New Rochelle (“‘Capital Prep New Rochelle”) to the SUNY Charter Schools Institute (the “Institute”) on June 3, 2024, in response to the Institute’s 2024 Request for Proposals (the
“RFP”), released on behalf of the SUNY Trustees on December 6, 2023. The Institute makes copies of applications available on its website.
If approved, Capital Prep New Rochelle will open in August 2025 with 150 students in Kindergarten and 6th – 7th grade, adding students in both elementary and secondary grades each year, and ultimately serving 600 students in Kindergarten – 4th and 6th – 11th grade during its first charter term. Capital Prep New Rochelle will backfill all seats that become available through attrition in all grades.
Capital Prep Schools NY will contract with the charter management organization (“CMO”) Capital Preparatory Schools, Inc. (“Capital Prep;” the “CMO;” or, the “network”), a Connecticut-based not-for-profit corporation, which will provide Capital Prep Schools NY with support in the areas of curriculum anc instruction, data management, operations, finance, and human resources. Capital Prep New Rochelle will replicate the instructional program implemented at the existing schools the network manages. As applicable, information regarding the renewal history, academic performance, and student discipline for the existing schools is presented in Appendix B.
After a thorough review process consistent with the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 (the “Act”), the Institute finds that the proposal to grant Capital Prep Schools NY the authority to operate Capital Pre New Rochelle rigorously demonstrates the criteria detailed in the Institute’s 2024 RFP, which align with the Act.
Based on the proposal, as amended by the applicant, and the foregoing: The Institute recommends that the SUNY Trustees approve the proposal to grant Capital Prep Charter Schools NY the authority to operate Capital Preparatory Charter School New Rochelle.
New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Dr. Corey Reynolds sent a blast email to all stakeholders of the District:
I write to inform you that the SUNY Charter Schools Institute approved the proposal to establish Capital Preparatory Charter School New Rochelle at its public meeting Wednesday. The SUNY Charter Schools Committee cited the support of 309 community members as a key factor in supporting the application.
I extend my deepest gratitude for the nearly 4,000 communiques from community members, organizations, and elected officials who stood with us in opposing the proposed charter school in our New Rochelle. Your petitions, letters, phone calls, emails, and testimony at our public hearing demonstrated our community’s overwhelming commitment to preserving the integrity of our school district. Despite our best efforts and the documented history of Capital Preparatory Charter Schools in other locations, the committee decided to allow the charter to move forward.
According to its application, Capital Preparatory intends to begin enrolling kindergarten, sixth, and seventh grade students for the fall semester of the 2025-2026 school year. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide updates as we move forward.
In the meantime, the City School District of New Rochelle will continue to strive to be a trusting, collaborative, and innovative high-performing educational organization that challenges, celebrates, and nurtures the whole child. We will continue to commit to fostering a safe environment and providing a high-quality education that is authentic, inclusive, collaborative, and prepares the whole child to engage in a diverse world. In doing so, we will continue to endeavor to provide a high-quality public school education to our students to help each child reach their fullest potential.
Once again, I thank you for your unwavering support of our CSDNR students, faculty, and school system. Your advocacy and dedication are invaluable.