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

 

TO:	EMSC-VESID Committee
FROM:	Jean C. Stevens
SUBJECT:	Charter School Revisions
DATE:	August 24, 2006
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issues for Decision (Consent Agenda)

 

Should the Board of Regents approve the requests to revise the existing charters for the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School (Buffalo) and the Global Concepts Charter School (Lackawanna)? 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Regents EMSC-VESID Committee for action in September. 

 

Procedural History

 

Under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, the Board of Regents and the charter entity are authorized to approve revisions to charters.  The Board is also authorized to make recommendations regarding the revision of existing charters on applications submitted by another charter entity or directly to it as a charter entity. 

 

Background Information

 

We received two requests for approval of revisions to the existing charters for the above charter schools.  The Board of Regents is the charter entity for both charter schools.

 

The initial charter for the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter school was granted by the Regents on January 13, 2004.  The School will serve up to 375 students in grades 7–11 during the 2006-07 school year.   The School is moving into a larger building, and seeks to amend its charter to allow it to provide instruction for grade 7 only at the new site starting in September 2006, and then move completely into the new site by the second semester, upon completion of renovations in other parts of the building.

 

The initial charter for the Global Concepts Charter School was granted by the Regents January 16, 2002.   The School will serve up to 365 students in grades K-5 during the 2006-07 school year.  The School seeks to amend its charter to eliminate its internal end-of-year testing program, starting in the 2006-07 school year.  The School believes that more accurate and useful student assessment results are provided from the State assessment system and the School’s annual administration of the TerraNovas in all grades. Students also are assessed every eight weeks in both the Success for All program and the Reading First program.  The School also seeks to amend its ELA and math curricula in grades K-5, starting in the 2006-07 school year, to provide a more continuous and rigorous educational program that is better-aligned with the New York State Learning Standards. 

 

Complete copies of the current charters and material pertaining to the amendments are available from Jean C. Stevens at 518-474-5915.

 

Recommendations

 

VOTED:   That the Board of Regents approve the proposed first revision to the charter of the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, and any amendment to its provisional charter that is necessary.

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve the proposed first revision to the charter of the Global Concepts Charter School, and any amendment to its provisional charter that is necessary .

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

Upon approval by the Board of Regents, the revisions to the charters will become effective immediately.

 

Reason for Recommendations

 

The charters of the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School and the Global Concepts Charter School as revised (together with the other terms of their charters) (1) will meet the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) will permit the charter schools to operate in an educationally and fiscally-sound manner; and (3) 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.