Meeting of the Board of Regents | March 2010

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

TO:
FROM:	John B. King, Jr.
SUBJECT:	Charter Schools: Proposed Charter for Bedford Preparatory Charter School
DATE:	March 1, 2010
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve and issue the proposed charter for Bedford Preparatory Charter School (New York City)?

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 Bedford Preparatory Charter School (“the School”).  The School will take its first year as a planning year, and open in September 2011.  Initially, the School will serve 125 students in grade nine, and grow to serve 500 students in grades 9 - 12 in its fifth year. The School's mission is to “graduate students who are prepared for college, careers and citizenship by providing a high-tech, hands-on secondary experience.  Our students will participate in a rigorous academic curriculum aligned to New York State standards, will complete internships and service learning, and will be offered opportunities to take advanced electives and accumulate college credits while in high school.”

              The School has contracted with City Prep Academies, Inc. as its management partner.  As the proposed partner is newly formed, a student performance history associated with its operation is not available.  The School will provide instruction from 8:05 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. for 190 days per academic year.  The School will employ “blended instruction,” an approach which combines technologically enhanced online instruction, face-to-face teacher-student classroom learning, and experiences that provide opportunities for students to apply their skills.  While students learn at their own pace online in a classroom setting, teachers provide individualized instructional plans based on the needs of each student.  The online learning approach with its inherent assessment opportunities will enable instant diagnosis and support, so that teachers can address the needs of struggling students through an individual or small group setting, while advanced students can proceed through the curriculum at an appropriately challenging pace, ultimately taking a larger range of electives and/or advanced courses.     

The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in Community School District 13 on July 23, 2009, regarding this proposed charter application.  Community Education Council 13 opposed the placement of additional high schools in District 13.

Additional information concerning this initial application may also be found on the Board of Regents website at http://www.regents.nysed.gov/.

Recommendation

              VOTED: That the Board of Regents approves and issues the charter of the Bedford Preparatory Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York, and issues a provisional charter to it for a term of five years, up through and including March 8, 2015. 

Reasons 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; and (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. 

             

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the Bedford Preparatory Charter School is effective immediately.

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

Summary of Proposed Charter

Name of Proposed Charter School:  Bedford Preparatory Charter School (BPCS or “the School”)

Address: TBD

Applicants:  Tamara Carpenter and Hope Hampton

Anticipated Opening Date:  September 6, 2011

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 13, Brooklyn

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

Institutional Partner:  N/A

Management Partner:  City Prep Academies, Inc.

Grades Served:                      2010-2011:  Planning Year

2011-2012:  9

2012-2013:  9-10

2013-2014:  9-11

2014-2015:  9-12

 

Projected Enrollment:         2010-2011:  Planning Year

2011-2012:  125

2012-2013:  249

2013-2014:  375

2014-2015:  500

 

Proposed Charter Highlights

Applicants

              Tamara Carpenter is currently employed by City Prep Academies, Inc. as Director of New School Development.   After earning a law degree in 1998, Ms. Carpenter held several community service positions: lawyer for children in foster care, program manager for Chicago Public Schools, youth development program director for community-based nonprofits, and organizer of several grassroots community projects.  In 2008 she was selected as a National Urban Fellow, and in 2009 she earned a Masters in public administration degree from Baruch College.  Following approval of the charter school application, Ms. Carpenter will assume the position of City Prep Academies’ Bedford Preparatory School liaison.  

Hope Hampton is currently the First Lady of Bethany Baptist Church, in Brooklyn, NY.  After earning a Bachelor in social work degree from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1990, she served as a social worker with The Children’s Guardian Home and held the position of Exploring Executive at Boy Scouts of America.  She served as a high school dean in the M.S.D. Washington Township school system (Indianapolis) and the executive director of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center.  Following approval of the charter school application, Ms. Hampton will assume the position of BPCS community liaison.

Institutional Partner

N/A

Management Partner

             

City Prep Academies, Inc. (CPA) is a for-profit corporation founded by Tom Vander Ark and a team of educators in 2008.  Its focus is on “creating and sustaining a new network of schools that offer a dynamic and differentiated educational pedagogy combining the best of online, onsite and real-world learning.”  The academic program employed by CPA is “closely related to the NYC iSchool, the only high school program in New York that blends engaging projects with personalized online learning.”  NYC iSchool was selected by the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York (the Chancellor) as a model for the development of other schools under the NYC21C initiative, a newly launched research and development project of the Chancellor aimed at innovating secondary school practices to better prepare students for college and careers in the 21st century global economy. Opened with a ninth grade in September 2008, NYC iSchool reported to NYSED that 100 percent of its students passed ELA and math.  As CPA is a newly formed corporation, a student performance history associated with its operation is not available.  CPA will provide BPCS with services that include charter application preparation and submissions, student recruitment and enrollment, materials selection, professional development, instructional and curriculum support, operations and financial services, personnel recruitment and employment negotiations.  CPA may, but will not be obligated to, fund operational deficits incurred by the School. 

Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction

 

• The School will augment in-class instruction and a New York State standards-based curriculum with online technology, college level electives, project-based learning, internship opportunities and character education.
• The School’s online system of learning will allow students to learn at their own pace and teachers to provide individualized instruction.
• BPCS anticipates using Apex Learning for math, English language arts (ELA), science, social studies and languages other than English (LOTE).
• BPCS students will be provided a curriculum aligned with the 28 New York State Learning Standards.
• The School will employ youth development principles through service learning and a four-year advisory program.
• The advisory program pairs student groups of no more than 12 with a single faculty advisor who will serve as an advocate and mentor to the same group of students throughout the four years of high school.
• The advisor will marshal school and community resources, and engage parents and families to create a support network for each student.
• The advisory program will organize around themes of character education and college readiness.
• Students are expected to complete coursework in addition to that required by the Regents, take advanced placement and/or college level courses, participate in community service and, in senior year, complete a 120-hour project-based internship.  While students completing Regents requirements will receive a diploma, students completing the additional requirements will receive a diploma with “Bedford Honors.”
• The School will use assessment data to inform teaching and to assign remedial help to underperformers. 
• The School’s online system of learning will provide immediate assessment opportunities that will allow teachers to quickly identify students’ learning issues, remediate immediately and monitor individual student progress. 
• Immediate assessments will allow advanced students more flexibility to take a larger range of electives and advanced courses.  
• The School will administer the New York State Regents exams in accordance with their state-mandated schedules, the Terra Nova assessments on an annual basis, and teacher-developed assessments at the end of each unit of study.
• The School will address the needs of students with disabilities (SWD) through an inclusion model of instruction. 
• Students with disabilities will be removed from the regular classroom only if the nature of the disability is such that the goals of the IEP cannot be achieved satisfactorily with the use of supplementary aids and services within the classroom.
• In the event that BPCS is unable to directly provide services to SWD as required by the student’s IEP, the School will contract with appropriately certified individuals to provide services under its direction.   
• The School will employ a process of structured English language immersion for English language learners (ELL).
• The School will directly provide or make referrals for appropriate support services that may be needed by ELL in order to achieve and maintain a satisfactory level of academic performance.
• In an effort to address the needs of ELL, the School will contract services with a literacy consultant who has specialized knowledge to support ELL.
• Hours of instruction for grades 9 - 12 will be 8:05 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.  On Friday, students will be released at 1:00 p.m. to participate in outside enrichment, community service and internship activities, with dismissal at 4:00 p.m.
• A voluntary after-school program will meet daily, 4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  The program will offer student clubs, band, team sports, tutoring, and service opportunities. 
• A half-day Saturday program will be mandatory for any student failing a class, and voluntary for any other student.   
• The School proposes a 190-day school year from September to the end of June.

 

Governance

 

• The number of trustees shall be no fewer than seven and shall not exceed 13. 
• Trustees will be elected to serve three-year terms, except for the parent trustee and any representative of a partner organization whose terms shall be one year.
• Standing committees will include the following: executive, finance, development, governance, and academic accountability committees.  Ad hoc committees may be formed as necessary.
• Officers of the Board of Trustees will be: president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.  The Board may have other officers as needed.
• In addition to the annual meeting, which will be held in June, regular meetings of the Board of Trustees will be held ten times throughout the year.  
• One trustee position will be reserved for a parent of a current student of BPCS.
• A Parents’ Association will be formed to work with the BOT and principal to make them aware of the needs and concerns of families so that their issues can be addressed.
• The BOT will be advised by the Parents’ Association and the management partner.

 

Students

 

• BPCS use Year One as a planning year, and will open in September 2011.
• The School will serve 125 students in grade nine in Year Two, and grow to serve 500 students in grades 9 - 12 in Year Five.
• The School will enroll 125 students per grade except in Year Three in which there will be a total of 249 students in two grades.
• The School anticipates a class size of 25 students, with a student teacher ratio of 25:1.
• The School anticipates the ages of students will range between 14 -18 years old.
• The School’s recruitment strategy includes the following: mailings to residents of CSD 13; flyers and notices posted in local newspapers, supermarkets, community centers, apartment complexes, and communities of faith; open houses conducted at public and private elementary schools, after-school programs and youth centers; visits to local organizations in surrounding neighborhoods, and; canvassing neighborhoods.
• In its outreach efforts to families of ELL, the School will disseminate information in advertisements about its ELL services, hold special open houses for and conduct one-on-one meetings with parents of ELL, place advertisements in newspapers and other media outlets that reach families whose first language in not English, translate publicity materials, and provide translation services as needed.   
• In its outreach efforts to families of SWD, the School will hold special open houses for and conduct one-on-one meetings with parents of students with disabilities, and will disseminate information in advertisements about the special education program.  
• The School expects the student body to reflect the population of the target community which in 2008 was: 89 percent Black, eight percent Hispanic, one percent White, two percent Other, 14 percent SWD, three percent ELL, and 65 percent eligible for free/reduced lunch.

 

Budget/Facilities

 

• The School would prefer to locate within an unutilized or underutilized New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) facility.
• As an alternative plan to the use of a NYC DOE facility, BPCS has identified a private property for sale and other leasing opportunities for short-term and long-term incubation within CSD 13. 
• Assuming BPCS will rent a private facility, the School anticipates rental costs of $312,500 in Year Two (Year One is a planning year) and $1,250,000 in Year Five of the charter.
• The School anticipates Year Two revenues of $2,224,179 and Year Five revenues of $7,305,550.
• Assuming BPCS will rent a private facility, the School anticipates Year Two expenses of $1,999,900 and Year Five expenses of $6,835,732.
• BPCS anticipates deferring payment of the management fee for the first year of operations.  Instead, the School plans to negotiate a line of credit from the management partner for the first year of operation.
• The School will create a dissolution fund of $75,000 over the first three years of operation. 
• The potential fiscal impact upon the District is represented below.  Please note that 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 NYC 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

Bedford Preparatory Charter School

(New York City – CSD 13 – Manhattan)

2010-11 through 2014-15

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Payment*	Projected Impact
2010-2011	PLANNING YEAR
2011-2012	125	$1,555,375	0.0074
2012-2013	249	$3,098,307	0.0148
2013-2014	375	$4,666,125	0.0222
2014-2015	500	$6,221,500	0.0296

*Assumes a three percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $21 billion in 2010-2011; and no annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2010-2011 rate of $12,443.

Personnel

 

• The School will have two co-leaders: a principal and an operations director.
• The instructional and student support staff will report to the principal, and the operations staff will report to the operations director.
• Both co-leaders will be responsible for hiring and evaluating the instructional and non-instructional staff.
• In preparation for the role of school leader, the principal will serve a one-year internship at the NYC iSchool during the planning year of 2010-2011.
• The School will employ the following staff in Year One: a finance associate (one in Year Five), five teachers (18 in Year Five), a special education teacher (four in Year Five), a master teacher (four in Year Five), a part-time librarian (two in Year Five), a part-time nurse (full-time in Year Five), a part-time assessment director (full-time in Year Five), a part-time data associate (full-time in Year Five), a counselor (two in Year Five), a part-time social worker (full-time in Year Five).
• The School will develop an individualized professional growth plan for each member of the instructional staff.
• In an effort to help teachers grow professionally, the School will provide the following: early student release time on Fridays to allow for professional development (PD) opportunities, two weeks of PD in the summer of the opening year, between two and five days of PD in the summer of subsequent years, two full days of PD during the school year, allocation of funds for teachers to attend professional conferences, and a schedule that allows daily collaborative planning time for teachers. 

 

Community Support

 

• BPCS provided signatures of interested families sufficient to fill the number of seats proposed for 2010 – 2011.
• Letters of support for BPCS were received from nine individuals including Assemblyman Hakeem Jefferies (57th District), Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Leah Hamilton and Michelle Cahill of The Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Barabus Shakur of Bedford Stuyvesant Project Re-Generation

 

Public Opinion

 

• The New York City Department of Education sent a letter and posted a notice on its website, notifying the public and independent schools in Community School District 13 of the proposed application for Bedford Preparatory Charter School and inviting comments for the public hearing. 
• The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in CSD 13 on July 23, 2009, concerning this application.  Community Education Council 13 opposed the placement of additional high schools in District 13.