Meeting of the Board of Regents | July 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 Grand Concourse Academy Charter School
DATE:	July 23, 2009
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations concerning the proposed first renewal of the charter for Grand Concourse Academy Charter School (New York City)?

 

Background Information

 

We received a request from SUNY to approve and issue a first renewal charter for Grand Concourse Academy Charter School (GCA or “the School”) for a term to commence on July 28, 2009, and run through July 27, 2014.  The School is located in Community School District (CSD) 9, Bronx. 

 

An initial five-year charter was granted by the Board of Regents on July 13, 2004, and expired on July 12, 2009.  The School opened in September 2004 serving 175 students in grades K – 2.  In May 2007, the Board of Regents approved a revision to expand full enrollment from 275 students in grades K – 4 to 335 students in grades K – 5.  Currently, GCA serves 370 students in grades K – 5.

 

During the proposed renewal period, the School will continue serving grades K – 5 with an enrollment of 364 students in Year 1 and 356 students in Year 5.  In an effort to reduce expenses, GCA will not renew its contract with Victory Schools Inc. (VSI), the current management partner.  Services provided by VSI will be provided by in-house staff and outside vendors.  While SUNY found that GCA has an effective educational program, strong instructional leadership, fiscally sound operation, strong Board of Trustees and satisfied parent body, the School does not operate with a curriculum that is aligned with all 28 New York State learning standards.  Additional information can be found on the Regents website: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/.

 

The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in CSD 9 on July 21, 2009.  No public comments were made or received.

 

Recommendation

 

VOTED: That the Board of Regents returns the proposed first renewal charter of the Grand Concourse Academy Charter School to the SUNY Trustees for reconsideration, and with the following comments and recommendations: 1) That the charter school develop a curriculum in mathematics and ELA that is aligned with the updated guidelines of 2005; 2) That the charter school include a goal for parental satisfaction in the accountability plan; 3) That the charter school provide details of the financial procedures and controls that will replace those used during the partnership with VSI.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action for the renewal of the Grand Concourse Academy Charter School will be effective immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School: Grand Concourse Academy Charter School (GCA or “the School”)

 

Address: 116-118 East 169th Street, Bronx, NY 10452

 

Board of Trustees President: Joyce Higginson-Davis

 

Renewal Period: July 28, 2009 – July 27, 2014

 

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 9, Bronx

 

Charter Entity: Trustees of the State University of New York

 

Institutional Partner(s): N/A

 

Management Partner(s): N/A

 

Grades Served per Year: K-5

 

Projected Enrollment per Year: 364 (356)

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

• The 2007-2008 New York State Report Card indicates that GCA is in Good Standing and made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for 2008-2009. 
• In 2007-2008, the School had a Performance Index (PI) of 186 on the New York State (NYS) exams in English language arts (ELA) and a PI of 191 on the NYS math exams. 
• Student achievement results for GCA are shown in Tables 1 - 3.
• In the three years from 2005-2006 to 2007-2008, GCA students made significant improvements in ELA and math performance.
• The School’s ELA and math exam scores in 2007-2008 were significantly higher than those of CSD 9 (see Table 4).
• On the NYS ELA exam of 2007-2008, 78 percent of GCA students achieved proficiency levels as compared to 43.9 percent of students in CSD 9. 
• On the NYS math exam of 2007-2008, 95 percent of GCA students achieved proficiency levels as compared to 71.4 percent of students in CSD 9.
• GCA reports that it met four of the five goals for each of math and ELA in 2007-2008.
• In addition to the required New York State assessments, GCA administers standardized tests aligned to State standards and monthly criterion-referenced ELA and math assessments.
• GCA will eliminate the IOWA as an assessment instrument for the proposed renewal period.
• The School’s academic program includes daily extended learning blocks in ELA (150 minutes), math (90 minutes), science (60 minutes) and social studies (45 minutes).
• The ELA and math programs employ the Scott Foresman series; the science and social studies programs use the Macmillan/McGraw Hill series.
• Each classroom is staffed with two teachers for the majority of the day; grades K-2 have an assistant teacher, and grades 3-5 have a reading teacher.
• GCA has employed the same principal since opening in 2004.
• GCA is compliant with New York State teacher certification requirements.
• The school year has 180 days; the school day is 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
• In 2007-2008, the School served the following student population: 50 percent Black, 49 percent Hispanic, five percent English language learners (ELL), no students with disabilities (SWD), 88 percent eligible for reduced/free lunch.
• The teacher attrition rate in 2007-2008 was 11%. 
• The student attrition rate in 2007-2008 was 10.5%.

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

• For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, GCA had total revenues of $4,606,738 and total expenditures of $4,158,957. 
• For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, GCA had total assets of $1,148.919 and total liabilities of $548,387.
• The School had a slight negative change in its net assets for 2006-2007 and a positive change for 2007-2008 (See Table 5).
• 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 New York City and no other districts; that all students will attend every day 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

Grand Concourse Academy Charter School

(New York City – CSD 9, Bronx)

2009-2010 through 2013-2014

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Payment*	Projected Impact
2009-2010	364	$4,529,252	0.0266
2010-2011	350	$4,551,027	0.0260
2011-2012	356	$4,837,352	0.0268
2012-2013	360	$5,111,831	0.0275
2013-2014	356	$5,282,509	0.0276

*Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $17 billion in 2008-2009; and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2009-2010 rate of $12,443.

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

 

• A public hearing to solicit comments from the community in connection with the charter school’s proposed renewal was conducted by the New York City Department of Education on July 21, 2009.  No public comments were made or received.  
• With a 96 percent response rate, 95 percent of parents surveyed in 2007-2008 expressed satisfaction with the School.

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

Based on previous annual evaluation reports and a renewal inspection visit, SUNY has concluded that GCA has an educational program that is generally effective.  SUNY further found that GCA faithfully pursues its goal of creating “a challenging learning environment that addresses the learning needs of students in New York City, especially those at risk of academic failure” and fostering “a sense of strong character and personal responsibility.”  With strong instructional leadership, GCA has established a culture of high academic and behavioral expectations that is understood by teachers, students and parents.  The School has devised a comprehensive system for teacher evaluations that provides direct feedback, and teachers find the feedback constructive and supportive.   

SUNY found that teachers and administrators are aware of the academic needs of students and a concerted effort is made to improve their skills, as evidenced by the attention given to assessment data.  Data is used for student grouping, targeting remedial intervention, and monitoring teacher delivery of the curriculum.  As a result, teachers have demonstrated an understanding of the current knowledge and skill level of their students, and students who are struggling with a lesson receive direct attention.  Additionally, the School deploys sufficient resources to provide academic interventions that address the range of student needs.

SUNY found that student enrollment continues to be strong and that GCA has fostered a positive reputation throughout the community.  GCA has been exemplary in regularly communicating each student’s progress to parents and in communicating overall school performance to parents and the community.  The waiting list is long, attendance and re-enrollment rates have been strong, and few, if any, parents have pursued grievances at the board level or outside the School.

SUNY found that the composition of the board of trustees has been very stable over the term of the initial charter.  Additional findings point to a board that has provided appropriate oversight for the School’s operation and has worked effectively to further the School’s mission.  The School’s financial reporting has been exemplary and its financial condition has been stable throughout the term of the initial charter.

 

 

 

Attachment 1

 

Table 1

2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of gca Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA						3-8 Math
%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency			%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency
0	22.0	73.0	5.0	78.0			0	5.0	76.0	19.0	95.0

 

Table 2

2006-2007

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of gca Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA						3-8 Math
%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency			%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency
3.4	8.0	77.5	11.1	88.6			3.6	4.0	82.1	10.3	92.4

 

Table 3

2005-2006

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of gca Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA						3-8 Math
%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency			%L1	%L2	%L3	%L4	Proficiency
2.1	39.6	58.3	0	58.3			2.1	23.0	68.5	6.4	75.0

 

Table 4

2006-2007 and 2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of gca and District 9 Students at Proficiency Levels

ELA				Math
	2006-2007	2007-2008				2006-2007	2007-2008
GCA	88.6%	78.0%			GCA	92.4%	95.0%
District 9	39.5%	43.9%			District 9	65.4%	71.4%

 

Table 5

Grand Concourse Academy Charter School

Change in Net Assets for 2006-2007 through 2007-2008*

Year	Change in Net Assets
2006-07	- $4,168
2007-08	$284,562

*Source: Audited Financial Statements provided as a part of each Annual Report.