By Sara Strassberg
The Diamond Charter School is seeking to open in Hempstead starting in 2026, but, during a public hearing at the ABGS Middle School in Hempstead Village on July 29, nearly 100 residents, school officials, and community leaders voiced their vehement opposition, claiming that it would burden the public school system and drain crucial funds.
If the proposal is approved by the SUNY Charter School Institute, the school would be able to serve 162 students in grades K-5 and grow to 486 students in five years.
Currently, Hempstead Village has two charter schools operating within its district boundaries: The Evergreen Charter School, and The Academy Charter School. If Diamond Charter School opened, the district would have to add to the $86 million a year, or $26,200 per student it currently pays to charter schools.
One might argue that charter schools are vital to providing parents with other options if they don’t like the public school system; yet, these options already exist.
“Hempstead already has an abundance of charter schools, and we cannot continue to drain resources from our students and educators,” said Long Island Federation of Labor Political Director Imran Ansari.
Charter schools are largely publicly funded, receiving money based on a per-pupil funding formula – meaning they receive a set amount for each student enrolled. However, despite funding derived from taxpayer dollars, charter schools operate independently of the local school district and are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education in respects to hiring teachers and curriculum.
“These are not public schools,” argued Baldwin Superintendent of Schools Dr. Shari Camhi. “These are publicly funded private schools that do not accept students with disabilities or those just arrived from other countries.”
Amongst other residents who spoke, the main arguments against the Diamond Charter School were that it lacked financial transparency and accountability.
Many felt it would rob the public schools of vital funding that could be used to afford “better busing, more clubs, more extracurriculars, more teachers, state-of-the art facilities, increased mental health and academic services, more innovative programs, and more opportunities for parents,” Camhi explained.
“When you’re taking over $100 million out of school districts that comprise Senate District 6, what are the school board members left to do?… They either have to cut services or raise taxes,” said Nassau County Legislator and Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Siela A. Bynoe (D-Westbury).
Bynoe further asserted that this reallocation of funding meant for public schools “is creating an inequity here in our district.”