The Mount Vernon City School District offices held two public hearings Thursday night on proposals for changes at the city's two charter schools.

The proposals has both parents and educators at odds.

A proposal at the legally required hearing is to expand student enrollment at Amani Public Charter School from the current grades 5th through 8th, to eventually add grades K through 4th for the coming school year.

"I hear a lot of talk about the financial impact to the district, and how charter schools are taking dollars from the district. I would ask that the superintendent consider closely what New York state's charter schools were intended to do. It was intended to give parents an option," said Charlie Stern, co-founder of the Amani Public Charter School.

"Well, with the expansion, that simply means that kids would be then allowed to take additional funds that the school district that it doesn't have to give to Amani Public Charter School," said School Board President Lorna Kerwin.

Also up for discussion was a proposal to decrease the student population at Intellectus Preparatory Charter School from 275 students to 175 students for the coming school year. This proposal, however, would later increase the number of students to 528 by the 2026-27 school year.

No decision were made at the hearings, but nerves were still on edge regarding the proposed changes.

"It does us no good to continue to fight against one another. I understand that sometimes info is inaccurate and out of date, but one thing that can fix that, again, is partnership," said Kenyah Miller, of the Intellectus Preparatory Charter School.

Final approval on the proposed changes is entirely up to the New York state Department of Education.

There was no word on when that might happen as of Thursday night.