SPRINGFIELD, MA (WSHM) -
Tears, hugging and outrage describe an emotional night as students and their families of the New Leadership Charter School learned it will be closing its doors at the end of the academic school year.
"I'm really disturbed that this is happening right now," said parent Kimberly Brouillard.
Her daughter Kayla is graduating from the school next year and said she is upset she has to find a new school.
"I'm shocked and aggravated because if it does close down, I have to go find a new school next year," said Brouillard.
It was a packed house Wednesday as the New Leadership Charter School community listened to officials explain their decision to close the school.
The chairman of New Leadership's board of directors, Peter Daboul, decided not to try and renew the school's charter after the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recommended last month closing New Leadership Charter.
"We have been underfunded to the point of occurring a half million dollar debt which restricted hiring teachers, buying equipment and finishing the facility," said Daboul.
On Thursday, parent Betty Jack found out she will need to send her two kids to another school.
"To just decide without asking out opinion was very unfair," exclaimed Jack.
The school says over the past six weeks they've looked for options to stay open but couldn't find one.
"This was a way for us to control the situation," explained Daboul.
Now 500 students will need to go somewhere else to learn and dozens of teachers will need to find other work.
Michael Nai is a teacher at the New Leadership Charter School. He says he doesn't want to go anywhere else.
"I want to stay here because of the way they kids treat me. I like the way the kids learn from me and I realize I learn from them. The disappointment is that I won't be able to learn from this group of kids anymore," said Nai.
Representatives from Springfield Public Schools attended Wednesday's meeting. They will be helping students make the transition into to their schools if they choose.
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