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

 

TO:

Full Board

FROM:

Jean C. Stevens

 

SUBJECT:

Charter School Renewals

DATE:

July 24, 2006

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 1 and 2

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Issues for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations regarding the proposed second renewal charter for the Our World Neighborhood Charter School in New York City received from the State University of New York Board of Trustees?

 

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations regarding the proposed second renewal charter for the John V. Lindsay Wildcat Charter School received from the Chancellor of the New York City Public Schools?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law 2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

These questions will come before the full Board for final action on July 26, 2006.

 

Procedural History

 

Under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, the Board of Regents is authorized to make recommendations regarding proposed charters submitted to it from another charter entity.  The Board is also authorized to make recommendations regarding the renewal of existing charters on applications submitted directly to it as a charter entity. Upon receipt of an application for renewal or for the establishment of a new charter school, the Board of Regents shall review such applications and proposed charters in accordance with the standards set forth in the Charter Schools Act.  Subsequent to its approval, the Board must then issue the initial charter or the renewal charter for each school, as applicable.

 

Background Information

 

We have received one proposed second renewal charter from the Trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY) and one proposed second renewal charter from the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools. These will be presented to you at your July meeting. The proposed second renewal charter from SUNY is for Our World Neighborhood Charter School.  The proposed second renewal charter from the Chancellor is for John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School.

 

           The Our World Neighborhood Charter School (OWNCS) is located in New York City.  The School is in the community of Astoria in the borough of Queens.  OWNCS was granted the initial charter on March 20, 2001.  On March 20, 2006, the Board of Regents voted to approve a short-term renewal of the charter through July 31, 2006.  The purpose of the short-term renewal is to provide the charter entity with time to evaluate the effectiveness of the School’s new management plan.  The School has met its academic and oversight responsibilities over the term of the charter.  OWNCS serves 645 students in grades K through 8 and will expand to serve 700 students.  Ninety-five percent  of students are returning from last year,  378 students are eligible for free/reduced price lunch,  53 students are students with disabilities and  50 students are limited English proficient.  Staff recommends approving the request submitted by the SUNY Board of Trustees that allows OWNCS to take a short-term planning renewal.  The purpose of the planning renewal is to allow the School to gather evidence of support of effective school management without the assistance of a management company. 

 

           The John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School (JVLWACS) is located in New York City.  The School was established in 1992 and funded by the New York City Board of Education.  The School converted to charter school status; the initial charter was granted in May 2000. In June 2005, the School was granted a one-year renewal of its charter up through and including September 1, 2006 allowing it to demonstrate the ability to operate in accordance with sound management practices, to demonstrate full compliance with Article 56 and to address 13 conditions that were approved by the Regents. The School serves a high-need population of students, including adjudicated youth and children who have dropped out of other public high schools.  The School is currently serving approximately 450 students, ages 14-21, enrolled in grades 8+ through 12.  The School’s Manhattan site serves grades 10 through 12 and the Bronx site serves grades 8+ through 9.  Because JVLWACS staff believes traditional models of education have not been successful with its students, the School emphasizes heterogeneous grouping of students, intensive case management, interdisciplinary teaching strategies and team building.  In the one-year renewal, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) found the School made sufficient progress towards demonstrating organizational viability.  Based upon 2004-05 State assessment data, JVLWACS has been identified as being furthest from State standards. Staff joined the NYC DOE on all of its monitoring visits and also conducted a comprehensive visit of its own. Staff recommends that the proposed second renewal to the charter and an extension to the provisional charter be approved because the School has shown potential to properly address concerns raised by NYSED and its chartering entity, NYC DOE.  Beginning in July 2006, the School will be on probation for areas of non-compliance by the chartering entity for a minimum period of one school year.  Joint monitoring will be conducted; the School will be removed from probation only upon the mutual agreement of NYC DOE and NYSED.  Staff believe an additional two-year renewal will allow the School to demonstrate the ability to operate in accordance with sound, management practices and to demonstrate full compliance with Article 56 and its charter. 

                                                                              

Copies of the above are available for your review by contacting Shelia Evans-Tranumn at 718-722-2796. 

 

Recommendation

         

          VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve and grant the proposed second renewal charter and extend the provisional charter for one year up through and including July 31, 2007 for the following charter school:

 

·       Our World Neighborhood Charter School

 

          VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve and grant the proposed second renewal charter and extend the provisional charter for two years up through and including August 31, 2008 for the following charter school:

 

·       John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

          The Regents action will become effective for the Our World Neighborhood Charter School on August 1, 2006.

 

The Regents action will become effective for the John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School on September 1, 2006.

 

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  Our World Neighborhood Charter School (OWNCS)

 

Address:  36-12 35th Avenue, Astoria, NY (grades K through 5) and 31-20 37th Street, Astoria, NY (grades 6 through 8)

 

Board of Trustees President:  Steve Zimmerman

 

Renewal Period:  August 1, 2006 – July 31, 2007

 

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 30/Region 4

 

Charter Entity:  SUNY Board of Trustees

 

Institutional Partner(s):  N/A

 

Management Partner(s):  Formerly Mosica Education, Inc; none during renewal period

 

Grades Served per Year: K-8 (K-8)                                   

 

Projected Enrollment per Year: 645 (700)

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

·       Our World Neighborhood Charter School (“OWNCS” or “the School”) has submitted a curriculum that is aligned to New York State standards.

·       For performance on State assessments, see Attachment 1.

·       In 2004-2005, the School has achieved a Performance Index of 171 on grade 4 English Language Arts and 196 on grade 4 math assessments.

·       The School set the goal of having 60% of all students enrolled for at least two years score on or above Level 3 in ELA and mathematics.  Nearly 93% of those students are performing on or above Level 3 in math; approximately 75% are performing on or above Level 3 in ELA. 

·       OWNCS receives Title I funds and is a school in good standing under the No Child Left Behind Act.

 

 

 

 

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

·       According to the SUNY Board of Trustees renewal report, there were no identified concerns with the School’s internal audit structure.

·       The Statement of Activities for the year ending June 30, 2005 reports the school has net assets of $1,565,399.

·       Fiscal auditors opinions in each year of the charter have been unqualified.  The Charter Schools Institute reports the School “has met its financial reporting requirements with few exceptions.”

·       When fully enrolled with 700 students, the charter school will receive no more than 0.0385% of the New York City Department of Education budget (See Potential Fiscal Impact Chart below).

·       Programmatic and fiscal audits comply with all requirements made of public schools.

·       The School is in stable financial condition. 

·       For OWNCS’ Change in Net Assets, see Attachment 2.

 

Potential Fiscal Impact of the Renewal of the Charter
for the

Our World Neighborhood Charter School

 

School Year

Number of Students

Projected Payment*

Projected Impact

2006-07

700

$6,943,969

.0385%

*Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $17 billion in 2004-2005 and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2004-2005 rate of $9,084.

 

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

 

·          OWNCS issues an annual parent survey.  372 families responded to the survey.  On a rating scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 indicating strong agreement), parents rated the overall experience for their children at 8.85; the educational program at 8.69; and their satisfaction with the instructional staff at 9.02.

·          The School reports student persistence rates annually (the number of students in attendance in June as compared to the number of those students who return in September of that year).  In each year of the charter, the rate has grown from 86% (between Year 1 and Year 2) to 94% (between Year 2 and Year 3) to 96% (between Year 3 and Year 4).

·          The School has a waitlist of approximately 448 applicants.  The list has grown over the past three years from 184 (Spring 2003) to 219 (Spring 2004) to 369 (March 2005).

 

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

 

The SUNY Board of Trustees recommends approving the School for a short-term planning year renewal to assess the capacity and effectiveness of the School’s self-management plan.  The chartering entity finds strong evidence of educational soundness, fiscal soundness and parental satisfaction.  The Charter School Institute finds that granting the one-year renewal “would likely improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes of the Act as set forth in subdivision 2850(2) of the Education Law.  In addition, granting a one year renewal will assist in building sufficient data to be analyzed as part of the Institute’s full renewal review.” 

 

Recommendation

 

          Staff recommends that the Board of Regents approve the proposed second renewal to the charter and grant an extension to the provisional charter for one year up through and including July 31, 2007.

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

          (1) The charter school meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the charter school will be operated in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and (3) granting the extension is likely to improve student learning and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law.

 

Attachment 1

 

Our World Neighborhood Charter School
Performance on State Assessments

 

Assessment

Year

% Level 1

% Level 2

% Level 3

% Level 4

Performance Index

Grade 4 ELA

2003

14

45

31

10

127

Grade 4 ELA

2004

6

44

50

0

144

Grade 4 ELA

2005

4

21

46

29

171

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 4 Math

2003

10

18

56

16

162

Grade 4 Math

2004

0

26

57

17

174

Grade 4 Math

2005

0

4

56

40

196

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 4 Science

2004

10

23

51

16

157

Grade 4 Science

2005

0

21

46

33

179

 

 

 

Attachment 2

 

Our World Neighborhood Charter School

Change in Net Assets 2000-01 through 2004-05*

 

Year

Change in Net Assets

2002-03

$275,773

2003-04

$553,045

2004-05

$840,468

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

 

                                                                     

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School (JVLWACS)

 

Address:  17 Battery Place, New York, NY (grades 10 – 12) and 1239 Lafayette Ave, Bronx, NY (grades 8 + and 9)

 

Board of Trustees President:  Amelia V. Betanzos

 

Renewal Period:  September 1, 2006 – August 31, 2008

 

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 1/Region 9; New York City Community School District 8/Region 2

 

Charter Entity:  Chancellor, New York City Department of Education

 

Institutional Partner(s):  Wildcat Service Corporation, Inc.

 

Management Partner(s):  N/A

 

Grades Served per Year: 8+ - 12 (8+ - 12)                                  

 

Projected Enrollment per Year: 450 (500)

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

Academic Performance

·       The John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School (“JVLWACS” or “The School”) has submitted a curriculum that is aligned to New York State standards.

·       For performance on State assessments, see Attachment 1.

·       In 2005, 8.3 percent of the 8+ students at JVLWACS demonstrated proficiency in ELA.  In 2005, 0 percent of the 8+ students at JVLWACS demonstrated proficiency in math.  The 8+ program is designed to serve students who have previously been retained in grade 8.

·       Based upon 2004-05 State assessment data, JVLWACS has been identified as being furthest from State standards.  Because the school serves many students who are overage and undercredited upon admission to the school, it is not unexpected that many students do not graduate within four years of initial entry in grade 9 and the school is farthest from State standards.

·       According to the NYC DOE renewal report, the passing rate for JVLWACS students participating in the ELA and math Regents exams in 2004-2005 was higher than any other comparable transfer school. 

·       Of the students in the 2001 grade 9 cohort, 60.6 percent of the students did not take the Regents English exam, 17.1 percent scored between 0 and 64, and 22.2 percent scored between 65 and 100.  On the Regents math exam, 80.8 percent of the students did not take the exam, 10.1 percent scored between 0 and 64, and 9.1 percent scored between 65 and 84. 

·