Meeting of the Board of Regents | May 2010

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations concerning the proposed second revision to the initial charter for Elmwood Village Charter School (Buffalo)? 

Background Information

              We received a request from the Board of Trustees of the Elmwood Village Charter School (the “School”), a Board of Regents authorized charter school located in the Buffalo City School District, to approve a proposed revision to its current charter. The School seeks to add a second kindergarten class of twenty-five students commencing in the 2010-2011 school year.

The Board of Regents granted the School its initial charter on January 10, 2006 for a period of five years, and the School opened for instruction in September 2006, serving 125 students in grades K through 4.  The Board of Regents approved a first revision on September 16, 2008, which allowed the School to revise its assessment plan.  A teacher and an aide will be added to the 2010-2011 staff roster.

              The Buffalo City School District held a public hearing on April 14, 2010, regarding this proposed revision for the School.  There was one public comment in the form of a statement read by Timothy Greenan, an attorney for 124 Elmwood, LLC, the owner of the property currently occupied by the Elmwood Village Charter School.  124 Elmwood, LLC stated its objection to the addition of the kindergarten class as a first step in expanding the entire school, and thus potentially abandoning the building at 124 Elmwood Avenue.

              Staff recommends that the Board of Regents approve the proposed second revision to the initial charter of the Elmwood Village Charter School. 

Recommendation

VOTED: That the Board of Regents approves the revision to the initial charter of the Elmwood Village Charter School, and the provisional charter is amended accordingly.

Reasons for Recommendation

              The proposed revision to the School’s charter, along with the other terms of the  charter: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will permit the charter school to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) 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 revision to the School’s initial charter will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school.    

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the Elmwood Village Charter School is effective immediately.