A public hearing on the New Dawn Charter High School application drew sustained opposition Wednesday night at a Newburgh City School District meeting, with district staff and community members warning the charter could divert roughly $9.6 million in annual funding and exacerbate staffing and equity pressures.

The hearing is part of the application process overseen by the New York State Education Department. A district staff member presenting the district’s analysis said the charter could “take $9,600,000 off the top if they are able to reach full capacity,” and that the district would face additional transportation, special-education, textbook and technology costs if students left district schools for the charter.

The issue matters to the district now because officials and several speakers said Newburgh is preparing to open a career and technical education (CTE) building next year costing more than $75,000,000; speakers said losing students and per-pupil aid to a charter could reduce resources available to support that and other programs. The hearing transcript and any public comments will be submitted to the state as part of NYSED’s review process.

A longtime educator and state lawmaker, Chris Perez, described the proposed New Dawn as similar to a prior local charter. “The new Dawn Charter High School is an exact replica of what this school district did back in 02/2013,” Perez said, and he cited the earlier charter’s enrollment and dropout figures. Perez added that earlier promises that the prior charter “wasn't gonna cost this district any money. Guess what? It did lots of millions of dollars.”

Several residents voiced equity concerns and questioned which students and staff a new charter would recruit. “They get to cherry pick the best students,” one resident said, arguing charters often avoid students with learning disabilities or behavioral supports. Another speaker, David Ryan, called the proposed charter a “contract for over $8,000,000 per year” and said, “This is not about education. This is about lining someone’s pockets.”

District presenters urged residents to submit comments to NYSED during the 30-day public-comment window established by state rules. The district noted it is legally required to hold an initial public hearing after notification from the state and that the transcript of this hearing will be part of the material NYSED reviews. District staff also said they would check whether an additional public hearing could be held and added that community-written comments could be included in the district’s submission to the region and the Board of Regents.

Board members and staff repeatedly clarified that the district did not solicit the New Dawn application. One board member said, “We did not. And, no, we do not want it,” and another stressed that the decision rests with the state agency reviewing the application, not the local board.

Speakers who opposed the charter referenced a prior local charter—identified in the record as Newburgh Prep—and cited its enrollment and dropout figures across several school years as a cautionary example. District staff also flagged possible duplication of programs with the district’s planned CTE offerings and said the charter could create direct fiscal pressure on existing services and supports.

No formal vote or board action on the charter application occurred at the hearing. The public hearing concluded after community testimony; district staff said the recording and transcript will be posted and submitted to NYSED, and they encouraged written public comment to the state reviewer.

The district indicated it will follow the state-mandated timeline; community members asked the district to provide printed or digital materials summarizing the district’s concerns so residents can share them before the state’s deadline.