Meeting of the Board of Regents | February 2008

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	Charter Schools: Proposed Charter for New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries
DATE:	February 6, 2008
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

             

Should the Regents approve and issue the proposed charter of the New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries as submitted by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York? 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

              Required by New York State Education Law §2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Regents EMSC Committee in February 2008 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action in February 2008.

 

Procedural History

 

The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 requires the Board of Regents to review, in accordance with the standards set forth in Education Law §2852(2), proposed charters, renewal charters and revisions to charters and renewal charters that have been approved and submitted by other charter entities.  The Board of Regents may either approve and issue a charter, renewal charter and/or revision as proposed by the charter entity, or return the same to the charter entity for reconsideration with written comments and recommendations. 

 

Background Information

 

              We have received a proposed charter from the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York for the establishment of the following charter school.  This will be presented to you at your February 2008 meeting.  The proposed charter is for the following: 

 

• New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries

 

             New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries (AECI) would be located in New York City Community School District 7, in the Bronx.  AECI will initially serve 125 students in grade 9 and expand to serve 499 students in grades 9-12 by the fourth and fifth years of the initial charter.  Its mission is to create an integrated, rigorous academic and career preparatory learning environment that provides students with a foundation of the necessary skills, knowledge, and practical experience to pursue a path leading to college and/or a career in the construction industry.  Emphasizing science and math proficiency, effective communication skills and critical thinking, AECI will promote career opportunities through student-engaged and project–based learning, apprenticeships and mentorship.  The management partner will be Victory Schools.

             

Recommendation

 

VOTED: That the Board of Regents approve and issue the charter of the New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York and issue a provisional charter to it for a term of five years, ending on February 11, 2013.

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

              1) The charter school described in the proposed charter meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the applicants can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) approving and issuing the proposed charter is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) approving and issuing the proposed charter will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the proposed charter school. 

             

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action for the New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries is effective immediately.

 

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Proposed Charter School

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Charter School:  New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries (AECI or “the School”)

 

Address:  To be determined

 

Applicant(s):  Richard Izquierdo

 

Anticipated Opening Date:  September 3, 2008

 

District of Location: New York City Community School District (CSD) 7, The Bronx

 

Charter Entity: Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York  

 

Institutional Partner(s):  N/A

 

Management Partner:  Victory Schools, Inc.

 

Grades Served:                      2008-09: 9

2009-10: 9-10

2010-11: 9-11

2011-12: 9-12

2012-13: 9-12

                         

Projected Enrollment:         2008-09: 125

2009-10: 249

2010-11: 374

2011-12: 499

2012-13: 499

 

 

Proposed Charter Highlights

 

Applicant

 

• Richard Izquierdo is currently the Chief of Staff for New York State Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo. He has also served Assemblywoman Arroyo as Legislative Aid and Community Liaison and has been active as a Community School Board President and Community Education Council President in District 7.  He is currently the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the South Bronx Charter School for International Culture and the Arts in Community School District (CSD) 7.  He holds an Associate Degree in Public Administration from Hostos Community College. Mr. Izquierdo is a member of the Community Council for A Better Bronx for Youth.

 

Institutional Partner(s)

 

              N/A

 

Educational Management Partner

 

• Victory Schools, Inc. (Victory) is the management partner. 
• Based in New York State, Victory partners in the operation of 17 public schools that serve more than 6,500 students.  Of those 17 schools, eight are charter schools located in New York State, two are charter schools in Chicago, one is a charter school in Philadelphia, and six are public district schools in Philadelphia. 
• Victory provides consulting services to school districts in Delaware, New York City and Buffalo.
• Attachment 1 provides information on the performance on English Language Arts (ELA) and math State assessments by all charter schools in New York State managed by Victory.
• Victory’s main role is to support the School in attaining the student achievement goals outlined in the application and ensuring financial viability.
• Victory will report to and be supervised by the Board of Trustees.
• Although Victory currently does not manage high schools in New York City, the applicant’s rationale for choosing it as the management partner follows: 
• • The applicant is aware of Victory’s two theme-based high schools in Philadelphia, as well as the new consulting relationships that Victory has with New York City high schools. 
  • The applicant states that Victory is a consultant, or “critical friend,” of a theme-based high school in Buffalo, the Charter School for Applied Technology, and that Victory is the lead consultant to the Christina School District in Delaware on multiple aspects of their high school reform initiatives.
  • The applicant believes that Victory’s collaborative and individualized approach as well as its current high school experience, through management and consulting contracts, will enable Victory to successfully manage themes that may be new to the organization. 
  • The applicant’s evaluation of Victory’s management style and existing relationships led him to determine that many members of Victory Schools’ senior management have substantial high school experience, particularly in the area of theme-based high schools.
  • Several members of the proposed Board of Trustees currently serve on the board of an existing charter school, the South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and Arts, managed by Victory Schools.

 

 

• The mission of AECI is to create an integrated, rigorous academic and career preparatory learning environment that provides students with a foundation of the necessary skills, knowledge, and practical experience to pursue a path leading to college and/or a career in the construction industry.
• AECI’s philosophy is that a college preparatory school that has high expectations for all students and an academically rigorous small learning environment will produce students who attain high levels of achievement regardless of ethnicity, gender, race, creed, national origin, religion or ancestry. 
• Emphasis will be on student effort rather than aptitude as the key to high achievement and mastering the learning standards.
• Architecture, engineering and construction topics will be integrated into AECI’s core academic subjects, project-based classroom learning, and career-related field experiences.
• AECI will offer stand-alone theme courses in architecture, engineering, and construction. 
• AECI will provide real world career connections.
• Ninth and tenth grade students will receive a double block (90 minutes) of English Language Arts and mathematics each day.
• Students will receive at least four periods of advisory and/or academic intervention or enrichment each week.
• Technology will be embedded in mathematics and science instruction.
• Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) will be embedded in architecture, engineering, and construction elective courses.
• Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) will be embedded in Health.
• AECI will administer three types of assessments: criterion-referenced tests (CRT), norm-referenced tests (NRT), interim diagnostic testing and unit and end of year tests to provide the school with absolute, value-added, and comparative measures.  New York State and City assessments, including the Regents exams, will also be administered.
• AECI will serve all students with limited English proficiency (LEP) using structured English language immersion.
• The school day will be 8:00-4:00, and the school year will have 180 days. 

 

Governance

 

• The initial Board of Trustees will be composed of nine members. 
• As an aggregate, the initial board has experience in education, law, public administration, accounting, real estate and management.
• The Board of Trustees will never consist of less than five (5) members or more than eleven (11).
• The President of the Parent Teacher Association will be a Trustee.
• Board leadership development will be assessed on a systematic basis.  Committee and project assignments, committee rotations, and educational opportunities to prepare leaders for increased future responsibility will be provided.
• An annual self-evaluation process of AECI’s Board of Trustees will take place midway into the academic year and will include an annual review of the written board member position description to ensure that expectations are still current and are being met.  Each board member will be asked to assess their performance as a board member in critical areas such as input into policy and decision-making, committee participation, and fund-raising. 
• Trustees will be elected to serve terms of five (5) years dating from the day of their election and extending to the date of the annual meeting of the Trustees five (5) years thereafter.
• The Board of Trustees shall meet at least ten (10) times during the school year and as appropriate over the summer recess on dates to be determined in advance by the Board of Trustees. 
• The Board of Trustees will maintain the following subcommittees: Executive, Grievance, Budget and Finance, and Education and Accountability.

 

Students

 

• The School will open with 125 ninth grade students, divided among five classes. 
• The School will add one grade each year for a final enrollment of 499 in grades 9-12 in the fourth year. 
• AECI expects to enroll students with a similar demographic profile to that of CSD 7: 69% Hispanic, 29% black, 18% ELL, and 15% special education.

 

Personnel

 

• First year administrative staff will include a principal, business manager, and administrative assistant.  There will be six core course teachers, one reading coach, one special education/title I teacher, one PE teacher, one foreign language teacher, and several support staff, including a school aide, teaching assistant, safety agent, social worker and guidance counselor.
• The School anticipates staff for Years Two through Five as follows:

	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
Core teachers	11	15	19	21
Academic support staff	3	4	4.5	4.5
Specialty teachers	4	7	7	7
Support staff	6	7.5	9	11
Leadership/Supervision	2	2	2	2
Administrative	6	6.5	8	8

 

 

Budget/Facilities

 

• The budget anticipates total revenue equal to $1,828,203 in the first year of operation and $6,938,804 in the fifth year.
• The School anticipates holding $75,000 in escrow for dissolution beginning in Year One, as well as annual contributions to a reserve fund of an average of $100,000 per year.
• The School anticipates a surplus of approximately $60,000 in Year One.
• AECI plans to lease space from an existing DOE school facility for Years One and Two with rent costs of $1 annually. 
• Should existing DOE space be unavailable, AECI anticipates leasing space in an existing facility at Boricua College in The South Bronx.  If such space is unavailable, the plan is to lease modular facilities on the new Boricua Village site. 
• The budget for leasing a facility is $280,000.
• In Year Three, AECI anticipates moving into a permanent facility to be renovated during Years One and Two while the School is located in a shared DOE space.   
• The potential fiscal impact upon the District is represented below.  These projections are based upon several assumptions, which may or may not occur: that all existing charter schools will also exist in the next five years and serve the same grade levels as they do now; that the charter schools will be able to meet their projected maximum enrollment; that all students will come from New York City and no other districts; that all students will attend everyday for a 1.0 FTE; that the District’s budget will increase at the projected rate; that the per pupil payment will increase (and not decrease); and that the per pupil payment will increase at the projected rate.

 

Projected Fiscal Impact of the

New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries

(New York City CSD 7 – Bronx)

2008-09 Through 2012-13

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Payment*	Projected Impact
2008-2009	125	$1,439,879	0.0069
2009-2010	249	$2,997,311	0.0140
2010-2011	374	$4,704,574	0.0214
2011-2012	499	$ 6,559,421	0.0290
2012-2013	499	$6,854,595	0.0294

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $20.12 billion in 2007-2008; and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2007-2008 rate of $11,023.

 

 

Community Support

 

• The application provides twelve letters of support from community representatives and organizations.
• The application provides signatures of parents, representing 125 ninth graders, who would enroll their children in the School at the opening.     

 

Public Opinion

 

• AECI’s public hearing took place on September 20th at the Community Education Council 7 Meeting.  Two supportive comments were made. 

 

Recommendation

 

VOTED: That the Board of Regents approve and issue the charter of the New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries as proposed by the Chancellor of the City School District of the City of New York and issue a provisional charter to it for a term of five years, ending on February 11, 2013.

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

              1) The charter school described in the proposed charter meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the applicant demonstrated the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) approving and issuing the proposed charter is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) approving and issuing the proposed charter will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the proposed charter school. 

 

ATTACHMENT 1

Performance on ELA and Math State Assessments by all Charter Schools

in New York State Managed by Victory Schools, Inc.

 

	Percent of Students Scoring At or Above Level 3 on State Exams
Charter School and District of Location	2004-2005		2005-2006		2006-2007
	Gr. 4 ELA	Gr. 4 MATH	3-8 ELA	3-8 MATH	3-8 ELA	3-8 MATH
Roosevelt Children’s Academy	87	93	82	75	77	80
Charter School of Educational Excellence	NA	NA	32	34	46	53
Grand Concourse Academy	NA	NA	53	80	87	93
Peninsula Preparatory Academy	NA	NA	NA	NA	56	85
New Covenant	39	75	27	38	35	56
South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Sisulu-Walker Charter School	62	89	78	74	69	100
Merrick Academy	NA	NA	NA	NA	54	66