Dozens of Bridgeport residents voiced their opinions at a public meeting regarding a new charter school proposal Tuesday night.
The State Board of Education listened to parents, teachers, and students discuss the possible creation of a Capital Prep Harbor Charter School on Bridgeport’s Barnum Avenue.
The crowd was divided between those who are in favor of charter schools, and many within the existing Bridgeport Public School system who oppose distributing State money elsewhere.
“If the State board of education votes to support this or any other charter school application, the message that will reverberate through this community is that the 20,000 students in the Bridgeport Public Schools are not valued, are not worthy,” Chair of the Working Families Party Maria Pereria said.
Principal of the Capital Prep Charter School in Hartford and founder of Capital Preparatory Schools, Inc., argued that State that the proposal should be approved in order to achieve student success.
“We’ve seen them work in Hartford. Our lowest graduation rate is 97 percent. Our highest graduation rate is 100 percent. We have 100 percent of our gradates going on to 4 year colleges,” Perry said.
The State Education Board will make a decision by next month on whether to approve Capital Prep’s application and grant them a State Charter for up to 5 years.