Charter School Puts Renewal Process on Hold

By John Hildebrand, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Dec. 13–The embattled Riverhead Charter School yesterday withdrew its application for renewal of its state operating charter, while vowing to reapply within the next 90 days.

By withdrawing its application to the State Board of Regents, the 290-student school buys more time to straighten out its finances, including a $4 million debt to the Edison Schools corporation that holds a lien on its Calverton property. Had the application not been withdrawn, the school faced the possibility that the Regents might have followed a staff recommendation not to renew the charter that expires at the end of June.

School Principal Dorothy Porteus said in a phone interview that the school had made its intentions to continue operating clear to parents, some of whom have pleaded with the Regents to give the facility more time. She added that the school was confident “we can make our case to the Regents of how we intend to go forward in the next several years.”

Staffers in the State Education Department have cited shaky finances among other factors in their recommendation to close the school. Supporters, on the other hand, blame those problems largely on nearby school districts that have delayed tuition payments to the charter school for resident students who choose to enroll there.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

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