Meeting of the Board of Regents | January 2009

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

 

TO:
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	Charter Schools: Proposed First Renewal Charter for the Charter School of Educational Excellence
DATE:	January 5, 2009
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendation concerning the proposed first renewal charter application for the Charter School of Educational Excellence (Yonkers)? 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

              Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the EMSC Committee in January 2009 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action in January 2009.

 

Procedural History

 

The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 requires the Board of Regents (“Board”) to review applications for both new charter schools and the renewal of existing charter schools that are submitted to it in accordance with the standards set forth in subdivision two of New York State Education Law §2852.  After review, the Board may either (a) approve an application and issue a charter or a renewal charter for a term of up to five years, or (b) deny the application.

 

In addition, New York Education Law §2852(7) provides that revisions of charter school charters shall be made only upon approval of the charter entity and the Board of Regents in accordance with the provisions of the law applicable to the issuance of charters themselves.  With respect to charter schools directly chartered by the Board, it may either approve a proposed revision or deny it. If the BOR denies the renewal application, the charter school may no longer provide instruction or operate the school at the end of its current charter.  The applicant must be given appropriate due process.  Subsequent to denying a renewal application, the existing provisional charter is revoked or dissolved. 

 

Background Information

 

We received a request from the Board of Trustees of the Charter School of Educational Excellence (“the School”), a Board of Regents authorized charter school located in Yonkers, to approve its proposed first renewal charter application.   The Yonkers Board of Education held the required public hearing on this proposed first renewal charter on December 9, 2008.   There were no comments made or received from the public.

 

The Board of Regents granted the School its initial charter on January 12, 2004.  The School, managed by Victory Schools, Inc., was scheduled to open for instruction in September 2004; however, the School was unable to commence instruction until September 2005 due to delays in securing building permits from the city of Yonkers.  The School opened for instruction in September 2005 serving a maximum of 175 students in grades K-4.  The School currently serves 346 students in grades K-6.  The school requests a first renewal term to commence on January 12, 2009 and run up through and including June 30, 2013.

 

Staff recommends that the Board of Regents approve the proposed first renewal charter of the Charter School of Educational Excellence.

                             

Recommendation

 

              VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves the renewal application of the Charter School of Educational Excellence, that a first renewal charter be granted nunc pro tunc January 12, 2009, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2013

 

Reasons for Recommendations

 

              (1) The charter school meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the charter school has demonstrated the ability to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) approving the proposed renewal 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 the proposed renewal will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action for the Charter School of Educational Excellence will be effective immediately.

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

 

Address:  260 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York 10701

 

Board of Trustees President:  Eduardo LaGuerre

 

District of Location:  Yonkers City School District                        

 

Charter Entity:  Board of Regents

 

Institutional Partner(s):  None

 

Management Partner(s): Victory Schools, Inc.

 

Grades Served:                      K-6

 

Projected Enrollment:         375

                                         

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

• The School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA (2005-06).
• Students had an increase of +6.4 on the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) scores in Reading (2005-06).
• The School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA in 2006-2007.  However, the student scores declined significantly on the NCE in Reading in Grade 1 and declined slightly in Grades 3 and 4.  Students in grades 2 and 5 showed gains.
• However, the School did not make AYP in Math in 2006-07 as it did not meet the required participation rate of 95%.  (The School’s participation rate was 94.8%).
• Students had an increase of +6.3 on the NCE scores in Math (2005-06). Student scores declined significantly on the NCE in Math in the subsequent year (2006-07) in Grade 1 and declined slightly in Grades 5.
• The Performance Index (PI) of 171 in 2005-06 and 173 in 2006-07 in Science exceeded the State standard of 100.              
• In 2007-08, the School reports that students in grade 4 and grade 6 made gains on the State ELA assessment outperforming the District.
• In 2007-08, the School reports that students in grades 3, 4 and 6 made significant gains on the State Math assessment outperforming the District.
• The School’s curriculum is aligned with all New York State Learning Standards and the applicant has provided an assurance that the School’s curriculum shall, at all times, be aligned with all of the New York State Learning Standards in effect at any time.
• The School will continue to employ the following into its curriculum:  Comprehensive Literacy, Core Knowledge, Everyday Math, Inquiry-oriented Science, Viva El Espanol for second language development, and creative, thematic enrichment using the Arts, Physical Education, and Health activities.
• The School will continue to have a longer school day that allocates blocks of time for basic subjects and to facilitate more time for social studies projects and scientific experiments. 
• The School will implement after school test preparation to strengthen student success on the State assessments.
• The School plans to supplement classroom libraries to include more leveled readers in all classrooms.
•  The School has strengthened its professional development for all staff to boost the level of instruction, including the development of professional improvement plans, strategic achievement plans (including the use of student data), peer reviews, and coaching/modeling. 
• Additionally, the Board of Trustees participates in ongoing training on Continuous Improvement Planning and Using Data to Inform Instruction provided by Victory Schools, Inc.

 

 

 

 

Charter School of Educational Excellence

Longitudinal ELA & Math Data

2004-05 through 2007-08

 

School and Grades	2005-06				2006-07				2007-08
	L1	L2	L3	L4	L1	L2	L3	L4	L1	L2	L3	L4
CSEE ELA Grade 3	41.7	37.5	20.8	0	22.5	40	35	2.5	12.2	46.9	40.8	0
Yonkers ELA Grade 3	10	29	56	5	12.6	31.7	50.3	5.4	8.8	31.9	51.6	7.7
CSEE ELA Grade 4	26.3	21.1	47.4	5.3	6.7	46.7	43.3	3.3	10	15	75	0
Yonkers ELA Grade 4	10	21	56	13	13.3	31.7	50.1	5	9.5	26.3	57.6	6.6
CSEE ELA Grade 5					12	32	52	4	7.7	42.3	50	0
Yonkers ELA Grade 5					10	38.5	49	2.6	3.4	29.6	64.5	2.5
CSEE ELA Grade 6									0	33.3	61.1	5.6
Yonkers ELA Grade 6									3.1	44.2	50.8	1.9
CSEE Math Grade 3	21.7	43.5	30.4	4.3	13.5	24.3	56.8	5.4	4.4	11.1	82.2	2.2
Yonkers Math Grade 3	8	18	53	21	7.8	17.9	58.8	15.5	5.3	12.5	62.3	19.9
CSEE Math Grade 4	47.1	17.6	23.5	11.8	22.6	22.6	54.8	0	7.5	10	65	17.5
Yonkers Math Grade 4	9	14	52	25	13.8	23.1	47.8	15.3	8.2	15.1	56	20.7
CSEE Math Grade 5					37.5	29.2	29.2	4.2	0	41.7	58.3	0
Yonkers Math Grade 5					13.3	31.5	46.3	8.9	7.9	24.4	55.6	12.1
CSEE Math Grade 6									11.1	16.7	44.4	27.8
Yonkers Math Grade 6									7.9	24.4	55.6	12.1

 

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

1. The seven-member Board of Trustees (“BOT”) is representative of the community and consists of educators, business professionals, and community leaders. 
2. The BOT has developed an accounting manual that documents the accounting and financial processes of the School, which is reviewed and tested yearly by external financial auditors on a yearly basis.
3. The BOT is actively seeking private funds to support the School’s future growth and development.
4. The School has demonstrated a positive cash balance at the end of each school year. 
5. The School’s annual report and fiscal audits have shown no material weaknesses.
6. The School will build up its escrow to $75,000 as required for dissolution.

 

 

Projected* Fiscal Impact of the

Charter School of Educational Excellence

2009-10 through 2013-14 School Year

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Impact (Percent of Total District Budget)
2009-10	375	.93
2010-11	375	.94
2011-12	375	.96
2012-13	375	.97
2013-14	375	.98

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Assumes a 3.0 percent annual increase in the district’s budget and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil.  Projections are subject to fluctuation in actual enrollments, FTE enrollments, AOE, and district budgets.  Further assumes all students will come from the district of location.

 

 

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

1. The School has met its goal of 90 percent student re-enrollment annually.
2. The School has met its parent satisfaction goal, with 91 percent of the parents indicating satisfaction with the charter school for their children.
3. The Yonkers Board of Education held the required public hearing on December 9, 2009 regarding this proposed first renewal charter.  No public comments were made or received.