Report of Regents P-12 Education Committee to The Board of Regents

The P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on March 13, 2023. All members were present with the exception of Vice Chancellor Finn who was excused.

Chancellor Young and Regents Collins, Hakanson, Reyes, Mittler, and Hale also attended the meeting but did not vote on the action items.

ACTION ITEMS

Renewal Recommendation for a Charter School Authorized by the New York City Department of Education [P12 (A) 1] – Department staff presented a recommendation for a charter renewal from the NYC DOE Chancellor. The NYC DOE Chancellor recommended that the Board of Regents approve a charter renewal for the following charter school authorized by the NYC DOE Chancellor pursuant to Article 56 of the Education Law (the NYS Charter Schools Act):

• Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School (NYC CSD 16) – a five-year renewal and revision to increase grade span and enrollment from K-8 with 729 students to K-12 with 1269 students over the course of the charter term, and the adoption of a co-leadership model.

The Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the application 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 this article; and (4) granting the application would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves the renewal application of Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that a renewal charter be issued, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2028.

The motion passed unanimously.   

Revision Recommendations for Charter Schools Authorized by the New York City Department of Education [P12 (A) 2] – Department staff presented recommendations for charter revisions from the NYC DOE Chancellor. The NYC DOE Chancellor recommended that the Board of Regents approve charter revisions for the following charter schools authorized by the NYC DOE Chancellor pursuant to Article 56 of the Education Law (the NYS Charter Schools Act):

• Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School, The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School (NYC CSD 7) – an enrollment decrease from 450 students 396 students;
• Future Leaders Institute Charter School (NYC CSD 3) – an enrollment decrease from 387 students to 342 students; and
• Imagine Me Leadership Charter School (NYC CSD 19) – a school design change from an all-boys model in K through Grade 5 and a coeducational model in Grades 6-8 to a coeducational model in K-8.

The Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School, The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the application 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 this article; and (4) granting the application would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves the charter revision of Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School, The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School and amends the provisional charter accordingly.

The Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that Future Leaders Institute Charter School: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the application 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 this article; and (4) granting the application would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves the charter revision of Future Leaders Institute Charter School and amends the provisional charter accordingly.

The Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that Imagine Me Leadership Charter School: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the application 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 this article; and (4) granting the application would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves the charter revision of Imagine Me Leadership Charter School and amends the provisional charter accordingly.

Regent Tilles and Regent Cashin voted no. The motion passed.

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD

The P-12 Education Committee recommends, and we move, that at its meeting on March 14, 2023, the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Supporting English Language Learners and Multilingual Learners in New York State - Department staff from the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages and guests presented updates on ways in which the Department and the field are supporting English language learners and multilingual learners.   

Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle reviewed the item on the Consent Agenda.