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Meeting of the Board of Regents | February 2008

Friday, February 1, 2008 - 11:05pm

 

sed seal                                                                                                 

 

 

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

 

TO:

FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier

SUBJECT:

Charter Schools: Proposed Charter for the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School

DATE:

February 6, 2008

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 1 and 2

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve and issue the proposed charter of the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School as submitted by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York?

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

              Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Regents EMSC Committee for action and then before the full Board for final action in February 2008.

 

Procedural History

 

              The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 requires the Board of Regents to review, in accordance with the standards set forth in Education Law §2852(2), proposed charters, renewal charters and revisions to charters and renewal charters that have been approved and submitted by other charter entities.  The Board of Regents may either approve and issue a charter, renewal charter and/or revision as proposed by the charter entity, or return the same to the charter entity for reconsideration with written comments and recommendations. 

 

Background Information

 

              We have received a proposed charter from the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York to establish a new charter school.  This will be presented to you at your February 2008 meeting.  The proposed charter is the following:

 

  • Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School

 

              The Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School (BGLIG or “the School”) would be located in New York City Community School District 7, in The Bronx.  The School will offer both single-gender instruction and a dual-language program in English and Spanish.  . 

 

Recommendation

 

              VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve and issue the charter of the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York and issue a provisional charter to it for a term of five years, ending on February 12, 2013.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

              (1) The charter school described in the proposed charter meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the applicants can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) approving and issuing the proposed charter 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 Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) approving and issuing the proposed charter would have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the proposed charter school.

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action for the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School is effective immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Proposed Charter

 

Name of Proposed Charter School: Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School (“BGLIG,” pronounced Big League or “the School”)

 

Address:  TBD

 

Applicant(s): Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski

 

Anticipated Opening Date: September 3, 2008

 

District of Location: New York City Community School District 7, The Bronx

 

Charter Entity:  Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York

 

Institutional Partner(s): N/A

 

Management Partner(s): Victory Schools Incorporated

 

Grades Served:                      2008-09: K-1

2009-10: K-2

2010-11: K-3

2011-12: K-4

2012-13: K-5

                         

Projected Enrollment:         2008-09: 150

2009-10: 225

2010-11: 300

2011-12: 375

2012-13: 450

 

 

Proposed Charter Highlights

 

Applicants

 

Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski is currently retired from government, but most recently served as senior vice president of the Empire State Development’s Economic Revitalization Division.  In this capacity, she was in charge of overseeing economic development for distressed communities in New York State and assigned to design projects and programs to stimulate growth and development.  As legislative coordinator for the South Bronx Development Organization, she helped to acquire grants for housing and economic development programs, including Charlotte Gardens Housing and Bathgate Industrial Park.  She has held numerous leadership positions, including one as the first executive director of the NYS Governor’s Office for Hispanic Affairs.

 

 

  • Victory Schools, Inc. (Victory) is the management partner. 
  • Based in New York State, Victory partners in the operation of seventeen public schools that serve more than 6,500 students; eight charter schools in New York State, two charter schools in Chicago, one charter school in Philadelphia, and six public district schools in Philadelphia. 
  • Victory provides consulting services to school districts in Delaware, New York City and Buffalo.
  • Attachment one provides information on performance on ELA and math State assessments by all charter schools in New York State managed by Victory.
  • Victory’s main role is to support the school in attaining the student achievement goals outlined in the application and ensuring financial viability.
  • Victory will report to and be supervised by the Board of Trustees.

 

Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction

 

  • The mission of Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School is to provide an education to young girls through dual language instruction in a technology-rich environment while building on cultural heritage to foster leadership characteristics and strong values, promote self-confidence and create global leaders. 
  • The School states its goal is to produce strong, confident, and intelligent women who will be future global leaders.
  • The School will emphasize dual language and culture to give students the skills to compete globally, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. 
  • BGLIG’s educational programs are fully aligned with the New York State’s 28 learning standards to ensure that students acquire the required knowledge and skills at the end of each grade level.  In addition, the School’s education program places a significant emphasis on international cultures, the arts, and dual language mastery.
  • BGLIG will use a balanced literacy approach and will focus on teaching the fundamentals of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
  • Technology will be embedded in mathematics and science.
  • Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) will consist mainly of teacher-developed lessons and classroom activities, and will also be embedded within the health curriculum. 
  • International cultural awareness will be taught primarily across the curriculum, especially in social studies, the arts, foreign language, and physical education. 
  • Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) will emphasize the New York State learning standards and key ideas: 1) Career Development; 2) Integrated Learning; and 3) Universal Foundation Skills.  CDOS will consist mainly of teacher and Victory-developed lessons, SED’s suggested activities, classroom visits by workers in the community, and field trips.
  • In addition to all New York State assessments, BGLIG will administer criterion-referenced tests (CRT), norm-referenced tests (NRT), interim diagnostic testing and unit and end of year tests to provide the school with absolute, value-added and comparative measures. 
  • BGLIG will serve all students with limited English proficiency using structured English language immersion.
  • BGLIG will have an extended day from 8:00am-4:00pm.
  • The School will offer both single-gender instruction to girls and a dual-language program in English and Spanish.

 

Governance

 

  • The number of Trustees constituting the entire Board of Trustees after the first annual meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be eleven (11), but in no event shall the entire Board consist of less than nine (9) or more than thirteen (13) Trustees
  • Trustees will be selected to serve five years, dating from the day of their election and extending to the date of the annual meeting of the Trustees five years thereafter.
  • An annual self-evaluation process of BGLIG’s Board of Trustees will take place midway into the academic year and will include an annual review of the written board member position description to ensure that expectations are still current and being met.  Each Board Member will be asked to assess his/her performance as a board member in critical areas such as input into policy and decision-making, committee participation, and fund-raising.
  • The Board of Trustees will maintain the following subcommittees: executive committee, academic and personnel committee, grievance committee, finance committee and fundraising committee.

 

Students

 

  • The School will limit enrollment to girls.  Each class will have approximately 25 students.
  • The School will serve 125 students in Kindergarten and first grade in its first year and add 75 students each year until reaching full capacity of 450 students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.
  • BGLIG expects to enroll students with a similar demographic profile to that of CSD 7: 69% Hispanic, 29% black, 18% ELL, and 15% students with disabilities (SWDs).

 

Budget/Facilities

 

  • The budget anticipates total revenue equal to $2,108,743 in Year One and $6,157,697 in Year Five.
  • BGLIG anticipates a $90,000 start-up grant as well as additional supplemental funding from the Office of the Mayor of the city of New York and federal CSP funds.
  • The school anticipates holding $75,000 in escrow for dissolution beginning in Year One, as well as making annual contributions of $15,000 to the account.
  • The School anticipates a surplus of $60,000 in Year One.
  • The School plans to lease space from an existing DOE school facility in Year One with rent costs of $1 annually.  Should this occur, the charter entity will have to conduct an additional hearing under Education Law §2853(3)(a).  If existing DOE space be unavailable, the School anticipates leasing a private space. A contingency budget reflects leasing of a private facility in Year One should co-locator space be unavailable. The contingency plan calls for renting a vacant lot and installing modulars for a total cost of $300,000 per year.
  • In Year Two, the School anticipates moving into a permanent facility to be renovated during Year One while it is located in a shared DOE space.
  • 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 everyday 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

Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School

(New York City CSD 7 – Bronx)

2008-09 through 2012-13

School Year

Number of Students

Projected Payment*

Projected Impact

2008-2009

150

$1,756,070

0.0100

2009-2010

225

$2,752,640

0.0153

2010-2011

300

$3,835,345

0.0207

2011-2012

375

$5,009,920

0.0262

2012-2013

450

$6,282,439

0.0319

* Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $20.12 billion in 2007-2008; and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2007-2008 rate of $11,023.

 

Personnel

 

  • First year administrative staff includes a principal, business manager and administrative assistant.
    • Proposed Staff in years one through five include:  Classroom & PE Teachers (6, 10.5, 14, 18, 22), Supporting Teachers (2, 2, 2, 3.5, 3), Instruction & Support Staff (8, 10, 12, 12, 13.5), Leadership & Supervision Staff (1, 2, 2, 2, 2), and Administrative Staff (4, 5.5, 6, 8, 9).

 

Community Support

 

  • BGLIG has collected letters of support from organizations including Bronx Lebanon Hospital and Hostos Community College.
  • BGLIG has secured signatures and inquiries regarding enrollment from parents of students of the appropriate age for enrollment in the School.

 

Public Opinion

 

  • A public hearing for this proposed school was conducted on September 20, 2007, as part of the Community Education Council 7 monthly meeting.
  • The public hearing comments were mixed. One expressed support; the other questioned the School’s value once students leave the School given the lack of dual language programs for middle school students.

 

Recommendation

 

              VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve and issue the charter of the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York and issue a provisional charter to it for a term of five years, ending on February 12, 2013.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

             

              (1) The charter school described in the proposed charter meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the applicants can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) approving and issuing the proposed charter 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 Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) approving and issuing the proposed charter will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the proposed charter school.

 

Attachment 1

 

Performance on ELA and Math State Assessments by all Charter Schools in New York State Managed by Victory Schools, Inc.

 

Percent of Students Scoring At or Above Level 3 on State Exams

Charter School and District of Location

 

2004-2005

 

2005-2006

 

2006-2007

 

Gr. 4

ELA

Gr. 4

MATH

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

Roosevelt Children’s Academy

87

 

93

 

82

 

75

 

77

 

80

 

Charter School of Educational Excellence

NA

NA

32

34

46

53

Grand Concourse Academy

NA

NA

53

80

87

93

Peninsula Preparatory Academy

NA

NA

NA

NA

56

85

New Covenant

39

75

27

38

35

56

South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Sisulu-Walker Charter School

62

89

78

74

69

100

Merrick Academy

NA

NA

NA

NA

54

66

 

The applicant of the proposed charter school has demonstrated that boys have access to a substantially equal program, school and opportunity at another charter school that is located in the same community school district as BGLIG and which also offers a dual-language program in English and Spanish.