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

 

TO:	The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents
FROM:	James A. Kadamus
COMMITTEE:	EMSC-VESID
TITLE OF ITEM:	Revisions to Charter School Charters
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	December 23, 2004
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Approval
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	Statutory Authority to Approve Amendments to Charters
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY:  

 

The Board of Regents has the authority pursuant to Article 56 of the Education Law to approve revisions to existing charters.  The Chancellor of the New York City Public School System has approved and submitted a proposed revision to the charter for the Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter School (PPACS) to allow the school to modify its ELA curriculum.  The school originally planned to supplement the Scott Foresman Reading program with the Direct Instruction program.  After the school completed its enrollment, the PPACS Board of Trustees determined that using exclusively the Scott Foresman Reading program rather than supplementing it with elements of the Direct Instruction program would better match the needs of the enrolled students. 

 

The Trustees of the State University of New York have approved and resubmitted a proposed revision to the charter of Sisulu Children’s Academy – Harlem Public Charter School without modification, but with additional data regarding the school’s performance on the 2004 State examinations.[1]  The revision allows the school to add a kindergarten class of 28 students for the 2004-05 school year; add one additional 1^st grade class in the 2004-2005 school year; and reduce the number of students served by 30 each in grades 4 and 5.  This would result in a net decrease in enrollment from the approved charter of one student from the 2004-05 school year.  In the 2005-2006 school year, the change would permit the school to increase enrollment in grades K-2 and decrease enrollment in grade 5, consistent with the reduction in enrollment in grade 4 in 2004-2005. The future enrollment structure is reflected in Attachment 1.  The changes are requested to allow the students who were in grades 3 and 4 in 2002-2003 to complete their elementary program at the school while the school is restructured so that by 2005-2006 there will be approximately 58 students in grades K-2.

 

The potential fiscal impact upon the districts of location for Sisulu Children’s Academy – Harlem Public Charter School, based on the requested revisions is attached.

 

Materials submitted by the SUNY Board of Trustees pertaining to the amendment are available from Shelia Evans Tranumn (718-722-2796).

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve the proposed revisions to the charters of the following charter schools upon a finding by the Board of Regents that: (1) the revisions meet the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the revisions (together with the other terms of the charters) will permit the charter schools to operate in an educationally and fiscally-sound manner; and (3) the revisions (together with the other terms of the charter) are 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:

 

·        Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter School

·        Sisulu Children’s Academy – Harlem Public Charter School

 

 

Attachment

 

 

Attachment 1

 

Future Enrollment Plan

for the

Sisulu Children’s Academy – Harlem Public Charter School

Grades	School Year 2003-2004; Approved Enrollment	School Year 2004-2005 Per Approved Charter Renewal	School Year 2004-05 Requested Revision	School Year 2005-2006 Per Approved Charter	School Year 2005-06 Requested Revision
K	25		28	50	56
1		25	56	25	56
2				25	56
3	100
4	100	100	70
5	75	100	70	100	70
Total	300	225	224	200	238

Attachment 2

 

Potential Fiscal Impact of the Charters

for the

Sisulu Children’s Academy – Harlem Public Charter School

 (New York City – Manhattan)

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Payment*	Projected Impact
2004-05	224	$8,439	0.013%
2005-06	238	$8,686	0.015%

*Assumes a 3 percent increase in the district’s budget and a 4.5 percent increase in the average expense per pupil, per year.

 

Note: The chart above reflects the remaining years of each charter.