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 Westminster Community Charter School
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 to the charter for the Westminster Community Charter School (Buffalo)? 

 

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 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.

             

              The Board must act on a proposed renewal charter submitted by the Chancellor of the NYC school district or other school district within 90 days of its submission or the proposed renewal charter will be deemed to have been approved and issued by operation of law at the expiration of that period.

 

              If the Board chooses to return the proposed renewal charter to the Chancellor or school district, as the chartering entity, with comments and recommendations, the Chancellor or the school district must reconsider the proposed renewal charter, taking into consideration the comments and recommendations of the Board.  The Chancellor or the school district may resubmit the proposed renewal charter to the Board without modification, resubmit the proposed renewal charter with modifications agreed to by the applicant in writing, or abandon the proposed renewal charter.

 

              If the Chancellor or the school district resubmits a proposed renewal charter to the Board, the Board may, within 90 days of resubmission, either approve or again return the proposed renewal charter to the Chancellor or to the school district for modification.  There is no limit to the number of times the Board can return a resubmitted proposed renewal charter to the Chancellor or to a school district.  However, upon expiration of the existing charter, the Board may pursue revocation of that charter.

 

Background Information

 

We have received a request from the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo (“BOE”) to approve and issue a first renewal charter for the Westminster Community Charter School (“the School”).   BOE held the required public hearing on this proposed first renewal charter on June 17, 2008.  No negative comments were made or received.  Questions were asked regarding comparison schools in the Buffalo District, marketing methods used by the School, the source of the reading program, where students attend school following 8th grade, and the percentage of special education students.  Positive comments were made by two parents, one of whom enrolled all of her six, previously home schooled, children when the School opened, and another who never misses an opportunity to praise the School for the success of her two children.  The School is a conversion charter school located in Buffalo.  The Board of Regents granted the School its initial charter on August 23, 2004.  It commenced instruction as a charter school in September 2004 serving 500 students in grades K-8.  It currently serves 550 students in grades K-8.  The School provides gender-based education in grades 7 and 8.  BOE requests a five-year first renewal term to commence on July 1, 2009 and end on June 30, 2014.  Staff recommends that a first renewal be granted for a term up through and including June 30, 2014.

 

 

 

Recommendation

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves and issues the first renewal charter of the Westminster Community Charter School as proposed by the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2014.

 

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 would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action for the Westminster Community Charter School will be effective on July 1, 2009.

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

 

Address:   24 Westminster Street, Buffalo, New York 14215-1614

 

Board of Trustees President:  Mark Czarnecki

 

Requested Renewal Period:  July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2014

 

District of Location: Buffalo                                     

 

Charter Entity:  Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo

 

Institutional Partner(s): M&T Bank

 

Management Partner(s):  None

 

Grades Served per Year:    K – 8                                              

 

Projected Enrollment per Year:  550

 

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

• The Westminster Community Charter School (“the School”) has met and exceeded its three academic goals, which were:  to meet the state’s performance Index in ELA and in math for grades four and eight, and to outperform the district of location.

1. The 2007-08 State assessment results show that the School outperformed the Buffalo Public Schools (“the District”) on all English Language Arts (“ELA”) and Math variables for each grade 3-8.  See below for all State assessment results 2004-05 through 2007-08.
2. In 2007-08, 100% of students taking the Math A Regents scored at Level 3 or 4, for the third consecutive year.  Eighty percent of the students taking the Living Environment Regents exam scored at Level 3 or 4, and 100% of those taking the Spanish Second Language Proficiency exam so scored.
3. Historically, the School has enrolled between 11-12 percent students with disabilities (“SWDs”).  Disaggregated student performance results show that, generally, SWDs do not score as well as their non-disabled peers.  When comparing SWDs’ scores on State exams over time, in both ELA and math they stayed the same or increased from 2005-06 to 2007-08 in four of the six grades tested.
4. Student cohort data (i.e., data for students who have been continuously enrolled in the School for two or more years) are somewhat mixed.  Data are available for the 2006-07 school year only.  ELA scores for grades 5 (41 percent) and 7 (48 percent) are especially weak.  Conversely, the Grade 3 scores (i.e., for student who were in grade 1 during the School’s first year of operation as a charter school) were strong, with 80 percent scoring at Level 3 on the ELA assessment (none scored at Level 4) and 88 percent scoring at or above Level 3 on the Math assessment.  Cohort group data are shown in the chart below.
5. Longitudinal data from 2005-06 to 2007-08 show growth in all but two grade levels (4th and 8th grade) in ELA and in all but three grade levels (4th, 5th and 6th) in Math.
6. Class groups (not necessarily cohorts) increased scores in ELA for all groups but one, and in math for all but two. 
7. The School has had a stable administration and Board of Trustees.

 

 

State Assessment Results 2004-05 Through 2007-08

School/Grades	2004-05				2005-06				2006-07				2007-08
Westminster	L1	L2	L3	L4	L1	L2	L3	L4	L1	L2	L3	L4	L1	L2	L3	L4
ELA Grade 3					4	37	60	0	6	22	66	6	0	24	69	7
ELA Grade 4	4	44	49	4	7	28	65	0	7	28	64	2	9	32	54	4
ELA Grade 5					2	27	70	2	5	48	41	5	5	24	70	2
ELA Grade 6					7	41	52	0	2	37	57	5	0	45	54	1
ELA Grade 7					3	40	53	3	0	55	44	2	0	27	73	0
ELA Grade 8	0	49	47	4	0	24	72	4	0	35	50	15	0	34	66	0
Buffalo City
ELA Grade 3					25	38	36	2	26	39	34	2	13	41	43	4
ELA Grade 4	17	44	33	6	27	35	35	3	22	39	38	2	21	37	40	2
ELA Grade 5					22	43	31	3	16	46	37	2	5	42	51	2
ELA Grade 6					21	48	29	2	7	58	33	2	4	52	43	1
ELA Grade 7					24	50	25	2	18	55	26	1	6	50	43	1
ELA Grade 8	15	59	22	4	24	56	20	1	12	55	32	2	13	59	27	1
Westminster
Math Grade 3					0	19	72	9	1	15	56	28	0	5	82	13
Math Grade 4	0	11	60	30	7	11	68	14	3	21	58	18	10	18	62	10
Math Grade 5					2	27	68	3	7	33	58	1	10	37	49	5
Math Grade 6					0	20	62	18	7	25	67	2	15	35	47	3
Math Grade 7					4	36	57	4	0	28	65	7	2	18	71	9
Math Grade 8	2	34	62	2	0	44	55	2	5	18	68	10	0	23	75	2
Buffalo City
Math Grade 3					29	31	37	3	24	33	40	3	9	25	60	6
Math Grade 4	7	26	51	16	23	30	42	6	23	33	38	6	18	29	46	7
Math Grade 5					40	32	24	3	25	37	34	4	17	33	44	6
Math Grade 6					38	35	25	3	27	35	34	4	18	33	42	7
Math Grade 7					35	43	20	2	22	49	26	3	11	39	43	7
Math Grade 8	32	44	23	1	35	48	16	1	27	47	24	1	22	45	31	2

 

 

Westminster Community Charter School

Reported Student Cohort Data

Percent Scoring At or Above Level 3

2006-07

 

 

Grade	ELA	Math
3	80*	88
4	61	73
5	41	64*
6	64	73
7	48	77
8	67	79

 

*None scoring at Level 4

 

Disaggregated  ELA Student Assessment Results

Percent Scoring At or Above Level 3

Compared With the District of Location

2004-05 Through 2007-08

 

Year	All Students			General Ed.			Special Ed.
	WCCS	BPS	WCCS		BPS	WCCS		BPS
04-05	52	33	53		40	38		11
05-06	64	32	66		40	46		9
06-07	60	35	64		NA	27		NA
07-08	67	43	71		NA	47		NA
All Years	61	36	64		40	40		10

 

Disaggregated  Math Student Assessment Results

Percent Scoring At or Above Level 3

Compared With the District of Location

2004-05 Through 2007-08

 

Year	All Students			General Ed.			Special Ed.
	WCCS	BPS	WCCS		BPS	WCCS		BPS
04-05	77	46	76		52	100		26
05-06	72	30	74		36	60		13
06-07	73	36	77		NA	57		NA
07-08	71		75		NA	49		NA
All Years	73	35	75		40	67		16

                                         

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

1. The School’s annual fiscal audits have revealed no instances of material weaknesses. 
2. The School’s last audit, for the 2007-08 school year, showed an increase in net assets over the previous year, from $4,247,214 to $6,376,373.
3. There have been no operating deficits. 
4. The School’s institutional partner is the M&T Bank, which provides a variety of fiscal and management services to the School.  The Bank has also provided over $2 million in support via training, in-kind services, and donations since 1994.

 

 

 

 

Projected* Fiscal Impact of the

Westminster Community Charter School

2009-10 Through 2013-14

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Impact (Percent of Total District Budget)
2009-10	550	0.70
2010-11	550	0.71
2011-12	550	0.72
2012-13	550	0.73
2013-14	550	0.74

 

*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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Projected* Fiscal Impact Of All Charter Schools In Buffalo

2009-10 Through 2013-14

School	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14
Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School	0.30	0.39	0.39	0.40	0.40
Buffalo Academy of Science CS	0.57	0.58	0.59	0.60	0.60
Buffalo United CS	0.89	0.90	0.91	0.93	0.94
CS for Applied Technologies**	1.90	1.90	1.90	1.95	1.98
COMMUNITY CS	0.44	0.44	0.45	0.46	0.47
Elmwood Village CS	0.22	0.23	0.23	0.23	0.23
Enterprise CS	0.50	0.52	0.53	0.54	0.54
King Center CS	0.13	0.13	0.14	0.14	0.14
Oracle CS	0.46	0.46	0.47	0.48	0.48
Pinnacle CS	0.61	0.62	0.63	0.64	0.64
South Buffalo CS	0.79	0.80	0.81	0.82	0.83
Tapestry CS	0.52	0.61	0.66	0.67	0.68
Western NY Maritime CS	0.41	0.42	0.42	0.43	0.44
Westminster Community CS	0.70	0.71	0.72	0.73	0.74
Total Projected Impact	8.44	8.71	8.85	9.02	9.11

*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, and that all other charter schools will still be in operation from 2009-10 forward.

** Located within Kenmore-Tonawanda CSD but receives approximately 85 percent of its student enrollment from Buffalo.   Impact is therefore calculated upon 85 percent of its anticipated enrollment.

 

 

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

• Parent involvement in the School is high.  They participate in workshops, parent teacher conferences and informational sessions about the School’s curriculum and the State assessment program.  Parents also volunteer to help with book fairs, in classrooms, on field trips, and also assist in hosting visitors to the School.

1. While there was some variation, parent surveys consistently show parents rating the School overall with a grade of “A”, with comments such as “This school is amazing!” and “WCCS is absolutely amazing.” 
2. Parents consistently rated the School with a grade of “B” regarding extracurricular activities and how the School handles discipline/safety issues.
3. The student attrition rate decreased from 18% in the 2005-06 school year to 11% in the 2007-08 school year. 
4. The required hearing was held by the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo on June 17, 2008.  No negative comments were made or received.  Several parents spoke with high praise for the School and its positive impact on their children.