Here we grow again! The Academy Charter School’s request to open three new schools in Suffolk County was granted state approval Wednesday, a decision that will expand the network’s footprint on Long Island. The charter’s proposal to open an elementary school and a middle school in Brentwood and a high school in Central Islip – which has faced opposition in those communities – was authorized by State University of New York trustees in a meeting Wednesday. The Academy, founded in 2009, is Long Island’s biggest and highest-performing charter school system, educating more than 4,200 students. The network already runs two K-12 campuses – one in Hempstead and one in Uniondale – and an elementary school in Wyandanch.
The newly approved schools will increase the network’s total student population by 1,600, to nearly 6,000 by 2031-32, according to figures included in a summary from the Charter Schools Institute, which reviews applications and makes recommendations to SUNY. About a dozen representatives from Academy attended the meeting virtually and answered trustees’ questions. They clapped and cheered after the trustees’ approval.
“I’m excited the work is about to begin,” said Barrington Goldson, founder of the Academy system, in an interview with Newsday after the meeting. The Charter Schools Institute had recommended SUNY trustees approve Academy’s requests. The institute cited its schools’ strong student outcomes, as reflected in higher academic proficiency and graduation rates than neighboring district schools.
Charter schools are independently run and have more freedom than traditional public schools in hiring and instructional decisions. They do not charge tuition to families. Although charters are public schools, their expansion in the public education landscape has long been controversial. Supporters say they offer an alternative to parents dissatisfied with their traditional public-school options, whereas opponents argue they drain funding from neighboring districts, threatening the education of the students in existing schools. The two schools in Brentwood are slated to open next fall. The Central Islip school is expected to open in the fall of 2027.
Story by Newsday: Dandan Zoudandan