Capital Preparatory Charter School has applied to create a new 6-12 grade school in Middletown, CT. It proposed for it to be located at the former CT Youth prison site or be built on the currently vacant lot on the corner of Butternut Street and West Street. We are a group of concerned parents and residents who do not believe that our town needs another school for variety reasons, especially since it wasn't too long ago that the Board of Education considered closing down McDonough or Spencer schools which are under the strains of former and projected funding woes. Putting in Capital Prep in Middletown will not benefit our town in any way. In fact, it will hurt our district which is already in dire need of funding for the existing schools. Creating a new charter school in our city will drain the already scarce resources away from our district and our students. Our concerns include a number of issues some of which include: would there be a designated number of students from Middletown who could attend the proposed school or would the school mostly serve children from outside the city ? if there was a designated number, only a fraction of Middletown students would actually be served by the proposed school. What effect would the proposed school have on the children who do not attend ? Our major concern is with the lessened oversight as charter schools are not subject to the same scrutiny and standards as traditional public schools; there is no planning when they are established making redistricting a constant burden for the school district. Charter school track record is stunningly uneven and the teacher turnover rates are high which tends to diminish student achievement. Lastly, charter schools inadequately serve children with special needs; they suspend children with disabilities at higher rates than public schools, and there have been many cases of inadequacy due to lack of resources, experience and insensitivity.