Public speakers urge pause on new Bella Vista charter amid concerns about impact on Rochester schools

The Board of Education of the Rochester City School District held a May 19 public hearing on an application for Bella Vista Charter School of the Arts, which proposes opening in August 2027 to serve grades 7–8 in year one and expand to grades 7–12 and 550 students by year five.

Kareem McCullah, the hearing’s first speaker, said he supports school choice but urged the board and state authorizers to pause additional charter approvals until the cumulative effects on the district are assessed. He said Bella Vista would compete directly with the district’s School of the Arts, risk dividing limited students and staff, and deepen “financial instability, staffing reductions, program cuts, governance conflict, and long-term uncertainty.” McCullah cited roughly 17 charter schools in Rochester and said district enrollment has fallen from nearly 34,000 students two decades ago to under 20,000 today.

Amy Malloy, vice president of the Board of Education, told the board she is not opposed to charter schools generally but that approving more charters while RCSD faces steep fiscal pressures would “siphon millions of dollars” from the district. Malloy said that because RCSD still must fund buildings, transportation, special education and other obligations when students leave, continued expansion without a statewide cumulative-impact review threatens the district’s ability to serve high-need students. She suggested Rochester consider a moratorium or request that state authorizers conduct a serious assessment similar to a recent moratorium passed in Buffalo.

Speakers framed the concern as both financial and equity-related. Malloy and McCullah said many charters enroll lower proportions of students with severe disabilities, English-language learners, and students with behavioral or emotional needs; they asked authorizers to weigh program duplication against community need. Neither Malloy nor McCullah proposed a board-level vote at the hearing; their remarks were public testimony to inform state review and the district’s record.

The board closed the formal charter hearing and transitioned to a speakers forum that evening; no final authorization decisions were made at the meeting. The hearing record will be included in materials sent to the New York State Education Department as part of the charter application process.