Get the facts about charter schools

GREENWOOD LAKE — The Greenwood Lake School Board will hold a special community information session about charter schools on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Greenwood Lake Elementary School gym on Waterstone Road.

Officials said the district has received many questions regarding the establishment of charter schools and has set up the meeting in response to their questions.

Representatives from the Charter School Office, Office of Innovative Schools from the New York State Education Department, will be guest presenters and be available to answer questions, according to the district.

The meeting seems to tie into the Tuxedo School District’s recent announcement of the results of a consultant study regarding the future of George F. Baker High School. The establishment of a conversion charter school was among three options for its school board to consider.

Tuxedo also considering charter options

The Tuxedo board meets on Thursday, Feb. 21 where it’s expected to address what options to adopt to ensure Baker’s long-term viability as a high school. The other options are the creation of a Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) Academy and/or an international high school.

The board, according to Tuxedo officials, could adopt any or all of those options. Its consultants have said opening a STEM Academy was doable for this fall if the board acted quickly.

After months of tense community meetings and negotiations between the two districts, Baker was reinstated as a high school choice option last fall. It was initially selected as the solo school last spring.

The Greenwood Lake board later rescinded that decision, selecting only high schools from the Warwick and Chester school districts.

The time frame for Greenwood Lake eighth-graders and Greenwood Lake students currently attending Baker to select their high school was extended to Jan. 17 when Tuxedo announced it would be holding community meetings to discuss the consultant’s recommendations about Baker’s future.

48-11-7
In total, 48 eighth-graders ultimately chose to enroll in Tuxedo; 11 chose Warwick and seven chose Chester.

The meeting in Greenwood Lake is open to anyone interested in learning more about charter schools. To learn more, call 782-8678, extension 51100.

- Nancy Kriz