New charter school proposed for Brentwood

Some local leaders have expressed opposition to the concept of a proposed charter school for English-language learners in Brentwood.

The School of Language and Communication Development, which operates two schools for students with developmental disabilities on Long Island and one in Queens, wants to establish the Dignitas Academy Charter School on the grounds of the closed St. Joseph's Academy.

Catherine Fee, spokeswoman for the proposed school, said officials have written a letter of intent to launch the school and plan to submit a full proposal in about a month to the SUNY Charter School Institute, which recommends charter school applicants to the state.

They would like to open for the 2013-14 school year and start with 168 students total in kindergarten, first and second grades. Fee said the school would add a grade each year up to eighth grade, with priority given to Brentwood residents who are not native English speakers.

Latino students make up 75 percent of the Brentwood Union Free School District, and 28 percent of students are "limited English proficient," according to the State Education Department.

"This charter school would be geared to English-language learners, so it's not a typical charter school that would come into the area and cherry-pick the brightest students," Fee said.

For every student living in the Brentwood school district who attends Dignitas, the charter school would receive $13,483, or 70 percent of the district's budget for that child. Fee said that at maximum capacity, Dignitas would use roughly 2 percent of the total budget allocated to Brentwood schools.

But local leaders, including newly elected school board members Ana Martinez and Keith Allison, and incumbent Gail Kirkham, said charter schools siphon already limited funds from the district.

"I'm definitely not in agreement with the charter schools, especially when that money is being taken out of the district," Allison said. "We're providing some of the same things they're championing, and we're successful at it."

Community members have repeatedly stood against charter schools.

In 2011, Victory Education Partners unsuccessfully tried to open Suffolk County Prep Charter School in Brentwood, but the application was stalled by the SUNY Charter School Institute in September because of issues with "governing structure, academic program and accountability platform." Victory withdrew its application in October.