Brentwood, Central Islip sue SUNY over Academy Charter approvals

Brentwood Union Free School District and Central Islip Union Free School District filed separate lawsuits in February asking courts to block State University of New York approvals that would allow The Academy Charter School network to open three schools: an elementary and a middle school in Brentwood and a high school in Central Islip. The districts say SUNY’s resubmission process improperly triggered automatic approval and threatens district finances and special-education services.

The legal challenges target SUNY trustees and the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, and rest on a procedural timeline the districts outline. The New York State Board of Regents returned the applications in December and recommended they be "abandoned," the complaints say. The SUNY trustees then resubmitted the same proposals on Jan. 22 without changes, which, the filings assert, "triggered automatic approval under the law."

Brentwood’s complaint includes detailed demographic and fiscal claims. The district lists 2023-24 enrollment at 17,902 students and demographic rates that include 87 percent Hispanic, 37 percent English language learners, 16 percent students with disabilities, and 87 percent economically disadvantaged. Brentwood says it served 670 Students with Interrupted or Inconsistent Formal Education in 2023-24 and notes that Academy’s existing schools in Hempstead, Uniondale and Wyandanch served zero SIFE students, arguing Academy "has not shown that it is equipped to serve SIFE students." The district estimates a nearly $99 million five-year financial loss if the two Brentwood charters open and argues the proposals "cannot be considered legally sufficient or educationally sound," citing failures on enrollment and retention targets and a deficient special-education plan.

Central Islip’s petition separately cites the SUNY Charter Schools Institute and claims more than $16 million in funds "would be diverted annually" to Academy if the high school opens, a figure Central Islip uses to challenge the approvals’ impact on district operations.

Labor and political opposition has joined the legal fight. New York State United Teachers filed suit in January seeking to drop the three approvals. Melinda Person of the Long Island Federation of Labor said, "SUNY Charter Schools Institute’s actions left us no alternative," and charged the institute "has repeatedly ignored state law by dismissing community voices and overriding education experts in order to rubber-stamp charter applications." Assemblyman Phil Ramos is also on record opposing the new charters.

SUNY’s spokesman Mike Lesczinski defended the authorizing process, saying, "SUNY’s application process is lauded nationally for its rigor, and our high standards and strong authorizing practices have cultivated the strongest charter school portfolio in the state and one of the strongest in the country," and added, "We are aware of the lawsuits and will have an opportunity to respond in court." Local coverage has already sparked "union vs. choice" discussions across Long Island.

The suits remain active and the courts will now consider whether SUNY’s resubmission and the automatic-approval mechanism can be set aside, a decision that could determine whether Brentwood’s $99 million projection and Central Islip’s $16 million annual diversion materialize.