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The State Education Department held a public hearing Tuesday night at a Bronx charter school that is on probation by the Board of Regents for fiscal mismanagement to hear from parents, teachers and administrators about whether the Kingsbridge Innovative Design Charter School is solvent enough to stay open.

The school recently laid off 11 staffers, including five teachers, saying it needed to cut costs. But Phyllis Arcuni believes she and some of her co-workers were fired for organizing.

"The five of us who were terminated were very vocal about the union," said Phyllis Acruni, who claims she and some of her co-workers were laid off for organizing, "and the president of the parent council referred to me and my co-teacher as the ringleaders of the union."

Arcuni said she was trying to help the teachers unionize because of failing management that resulted in missed paychecks, lapsed health insurance and other problems.

Executive Director and co-founder of the school, Julio Cotto, said the only reason for the layoffs were budgetary and the board continues to make progress with their finances.

But parent of a first grader at the school, Amy Flores, said she hopes the internal problems can get worked out for the sake of her daughter: "She's learning photosynthesis -- I didn't get to learn that in public school till I was in third grade," she said. "I mean I just hope for the best. I don't want the school to shut down."

The state set Friday as a deadline for the school to show its financial house is in order.