Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus will serve in the 2023-2024 school year as the new home for the NFA Mid-Town program, previously housed in the former Sacred Heart School on Robinson Avenue. Forty students are anticipated to be in the program for the upcoming school year, with the first day of school set for Wednesday, September 6.

Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell, at the Newburgh Board of Education meeting on Thursday, August 31 shared that the inclusion of these Mid-Town students at the main campus would help them have access to similar opportunities as their peers and to not feel excluded from the rest of the larger school community.

Ensuring the success of each student within the program, Manning Campbell shared that students and their parents have been meeting with district teachers and support staff creating student success plans heading into the new school year.

According to Christopher Bayer, Assistant Superintendent of Exceptional Learners, the process to prepare the students began by collecting input from them and seeing what they wanted. “One of the big takeaways was students wanted access to CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs,” said Bayer.

At the Thursday night meeting as well, Jeffrey Noto was appointed as the new interim house principal with the annual salary of $123,693.00. Funding for this position would be coming from ARP (American Rescue Plan) Funds. Bishop Jeffrey Woody previously served in the role, but his appointment had been tabled at the August 15 meeting.

The NFA Mid-Town program opened in the Fall of 2022 and was previously housed at the former Sacred Heart School building across from Delano-Hitch Park. The district has previously leased the building at $5,000 a month till June 30, 2023. The school itself had closed its doors in 2017, as reports of safety concerns and other violations were being discovered during checks by the city fire department.

At this district satellite location, Newburgh students who were part of the credit recovery program or who had since aged out of the program were able to complete their academic requirements for graduation.

However, district parents and students came before the Board of Education in March to express their concerns about the program, the safety of the students, the conditions of classrooms, lack of supplies and overall morale at the school. District officials and administrators addressed the concerns during Board of Education meetings during that time.

With the NFA Mid-Town program now moving back to the main campus, the former elementary school building would not be used but is still being considered for another usage. No plans have been announced.

“We’re exploring different opportunities for the building, we have lots of programs that we’re hoping to bring back,” said Manning Campbell.