Proposed Yonkers charter school pledges academics over profit as goal

Ernie Garcia
elgarcia@lohud.com

YONKERS - Representatives from a proposed charter high school say their goal is academics, not profit.

Board members of the Westchester Academy of Science Charter School said they chose Yonkers for the school because district test scores trail Westchester County and statewide averages.

"We are not here for business. We are not here to make money," downtown resident Mehmet Ozhabes told the Board of Education on Monday night at a public hearing on the proposed school. "We think there is room for improvement here, and we want to contribute."

Only six people spoke at the hearing. Three parents from the Yonkers Council of Parent Teacher Associations voiced their opposition, while three board members from the charter school spoke in favor.

Ann Marie Smith, first vice president of the parent-teacher group, said she suspects that charter schools are private businesses motivated by profit.

"I believe we should take the money and keep investing in the schools," Smith said.

Charter schools are public schools funded by districts whose children attend the charter school. If a Bronx-based child were to attend a Yonkers-based charter school, then New York City would pay the charter school for that child's education.

The Westchester Academy of Science Charter School submitted its application this year. It proposes opening by September 2010 with 216 students in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades.

The Board of Education will submit the testimony to state education officials, who are expected to meet with the charter school's representatives in October. State education officials will make a recommendation to the Board of Regents by early November, and the Regents are required to take action on the application in December.