Community, elected officials and unions urge Regents to reject New Dawn charter application

Deputy Superintendent Onyx Peterson urged state education officials to deny New Dawn Charter High School’s application at a Sept. 16 public hearing in Newburgh, saying the charter’s own documents project it would divert about $9,600,000 a year from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District if it reached full enrollment. The Board of Regents will review the application later this year and the State Education Department is accepting public comments through Sept. 22.

Why it matters: Speakers said the charter would reduce resources for students the district already serves, duplicate planned career and technical education programs and could shift higher‑cost special‑education students back to district coffers. That projected diversion is the central financial concern cited repeatedly by teachers, union leaders, students and elected officials at the hearing.

Peterson, the deputy superintendent, told the hearing that New Dawn’s application proposes enrolling up to 350 students, focusing on ‘‘overaged and under‑credited’’ students ages 16 to 21, and that the district estimates five‑year costs from transportation, special education and materials at more than $32,700,000. She said the district already offers evening credit‑recovery programs, work‑based learning and a CTE building opening next fall that the district views as overlapping with New Dawn’s stated mission. "We urge the Board of Regents to deny…