POUGHKEEPSIE – Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) expressed concerns about the renewal of the Little Water Charter School at a public hearing in Poughkeepsie this week, including calling for its closure. The Poughkeepsie City School District (PCSD) held the public hearing in compliance with state law requiring school districts to hold public hearings on charter schools within their districts.
, a charter school in Poughkeepsie, opened in 2022 and faces the risk of not receiving renewal of its certification from the State University of New York (SUNY) Charter Schools Institute (The Institute). The charter school, which serves grades K-5, is currently on probation with . The Institute then considers the comments made at the public hearing before determining the school’s renewal.
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Little Water receives more than $3 million of PCSD tax dollars annually to subsidize its operation, and Jacobson considers it a waste. “This failed experiment has taken more than $10 million from the Poughkeepsie City School District, which it (PCSD) can’t afford. It’s time to end this waste of taxpayer money.”
Jacobson also noted that Little Water has failed to comply with various requirements of state law and said the failure to comply, along with the school’s “Fake it until you make it” approach toward education are reasons enough to forfeit their certification.
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