Opponents of charter school expansion rally outside Town Hall before meeting Tuesday night

Opponents of Riverhead Charter School’s plan to build a new high school on Sound Avenue turned out in force for a rally outside Riverhead Town Hall prior to the Town Board meeting Tuesday night, despite the charter school’s announcement Tuesday morning that it had decided to abandon the plan.

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Only a handful of opponents entered the Town Hall meeting room for the board meeting, in sharp contrast to the crowd that packed the house for the Town Board’s last regular meeting Feb. 21. 

Two Riverhead High School students, two Riverhead school district elementary school teachers and an Aquebogue resident addressed the board during the meeting’s open comment period. The students and teachers expressed concerns about the impacts of the charter school on the finances and operations of the school district. 

Aiden Foss, a high school sophomore and a Calverton resident, said he’s worried that the continued expansion of the charter school will negatively affect programs he currently has access to at the high school.

The Riverhead Central School District Board of Education and the Riverhead Central Faculty Association, the union representing Riverhead’s teachers, have been outspoken about the impact of tuition payments the district is required to make to the charter school for all students who live in the district and attend the school. In the current school year, tuition payments to the charter exceeds $11.6 million.

“We know that Riverhead Central School District educates all students. Every student is given the chance to succeed with opportunities to take many classes that meet their interests, and the teachers will work tirelessly to meet all the needs of all students. I’m worried that the expansion of the charter school may result in the loss of programs that have positively impacted the lives of so many students including myself,” Foss said.

Riverhead High School senior Alexander Pascual said he believes the expansion of the charter school “is not in the best interest of our community.”

Pascual said he attended the charter school for seven years and he, like many of his peers, chose to enroll at Riverhead High School to obtain “the full high school experience” and “seek a more fulfilling education elsewhere.”

“Money going to the charter school takes money away from the public school district, which limits opportunities for students here at Riverhead schools,” he said. “I urge our community and officials to come together and resist the expansion of charter school.”

Roanoke Avenue Elementary School teacher Georgette Lauzier, a longtime South Jamesport resident who has been active in civic affairs, called “accusations” from charter school officials about the quality of education provided by the Riverhead Central School District “very unseemly.” The public school district “serves everyone,” Lauzier said. 

James Richardson, a fourth-grade teacher at Roanoke for 24 years and a lifelong Riverhead resident, said “there’s no accountability” for the money that flows from the district to the charter school. 

“We’re trying to preserve public education,” he said.

Debbie Conrad of Aquebogue raised questions about whether the charter high school will be allowed to use portables on the site of the current charter high school. 

“The school has chosen to increase their enrollment, it seems, at a rate that they can’t physically accommodate these children.”

Riverhead Charter School Superintendent Ray Ankrum declined comment and referred “all press inquiries” to an email address instead.