11th anniversary book 114 FINAL online - Flipbook - Page 24
Evergreen Charter School
1999-2020
Reflections on our History, Growth and Expansion
While Evergreen’s official anniversary date as a school is January 13, 2009, the day the school was
approved by the New York State Board of Regents, Evergreen’s history began some years earlier.
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1999
Charter schools first opened in New York in 1999 after the passage of the Charter Schools Act of 1998. This
act capped the number of charter schools in New York at 100.
At that time, Mr. Bernardino, the Founder and Executive Director of Círculo de la Hispanidad, was entrenched
in the work of the social, educational, and economic justice issues in Nassau County. These included the
educational plight of Hispanic and immigrant students in Long Beach. In addition, Mr. Bernardino was
involved in the Hempstead community and witnessed the systematic failure of students in the Hempstead
school district including the high rate of dropouts.
Círculo did not have the capacity, at that time, to develop a charter school, but Gil and the organization
remained attuned to the movement of charters in New York.
After purchasing land on Peninsula Boulevard through a legislative grant spearheaded by Senator Dean
Skelos, Círculo de la Hispanidad was actively working to secure funding to create its Community Center
in Hempstead, New York. This grant provided $1,500,000 in funding, the seed funds that Círculo used to
purchase the land at the original and current home of Círculo Center and Evergreen Charter School.
The cap on charters was soon reached. Círculo was not able to apply to open a school.
Círculo continued to work on its dream to build a community center.
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