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

 

TO:	EMSC-VESID Committee
FROM:	James A. Kadamus
SUBJECT:	Charter School Applications
DATE:	September 27, 2005
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve two proposed charters submitted by the SUNY Board of Trustees?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law 2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the EMSC-VESID Committee on October 6, 2005 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action on October 7, 2005.

 

Procedural History

 

Under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, the Board of Regents is authorized to make recommendations on proposed charters submitted by another charter entity.   Upon receipt of a proposed charter submitted by a charter entity, the Board of Regents shall review such proposed charter in accordance with the standards set forth in the Charter Schools Act. The Board of Regents shall either (a) approve and issue the charter as proposed by the charter entity or (b) return the proposed charter to the charter entity for reconsideration with the written comments and recommendations of the Board of Regents. If the Board of Regents fails to act on such proposed charter within 60 days of its submission, the proposed charter shall be deemed to have been approved and issued by the Board of Regents at the expiration of such period.

 

 

Background Information

 

We have received two proposed charters from the SUNY Board of Trustees that will be presented to you at your October meeting.  The proposed charters are for the following:

 

·       Albany Community Charter School, Albany City School District

·       Leadership Preparatory Charter School, New York City Community School District 16/Region 8

 

          The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“Trustees”) approved the application for the Albany Community Charter School (“the school”) and submitted a proposed charter to the Board of Regents in August 2005.  The school would be located in the City School District of Albany.  It would serve 104 students in grades K-1, and it has no management company.  By its fifth year, the school will serve 338 students in grades K-4.  The school will be strongly influenced by the Community Day Charter Public School in Massachusetts; it will receive support from Community Partners, Inc., a consulting group that will not be involved in management of the school but will provide consultation on curricula, governance, professional development, and leadership training and support.

 

          The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“Trustees”) approved the application for the Leadership Preparatory Charter School (“the school”) and submitted a proposed charter to the Board of Regents in August 2005.

 

          The school would be located in New York City Community School District 16.  It would serve 128 students in grades K-1, and it has no management company.  By its fifth year, the school will serve 320 students in grades K-4.  The school will use 2005-2006 as a planning year and begin operations in August of 2006.  The school, if renewed, would apply to change the grade configuration to K-8. 

 

 

The following table summarizes the number of new charters that may still be issued by charter entities in New York:

 

 

The New York City Chancellor has also approved eight conversion charter schools and the Buffalo City School District has approved one conversion school, all of which do not count against the statutory ceiling. 

Recommendation

 

VOTED: That the Board of Regents return the proposed charter for the Albany Community Charter School, Albany,  to the Trustees of the State University of New York for reconsideration.

 

          VOTED: That the Board of Regents return the proposed charter for the Leadership Preparatory Charter School, New York City Community School District 16, Region 8, to the Trustees of the State University of New York for reconsideration.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action will become effective on October 7, 2005.
New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Proposed Charter

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Charter School:  Albany Community Charter School

 

Address:  To be determined

 

Applicant(s):  Melissa Jarvis-Cedeno

 

Anticipated Opening Date: September 5, 2006

 

District of Location:  City School District of Albany             

 

Charter Entity:  SUNY Board of Trustees

 

Institutional Partner(s): Community Partners, Inc.

 

Management Partner(s): None

 

Grades Served:     K-1 (K-4)                Projected Enrollment: 104 (338)

 

Application Highlights

 

Applicant

 

Ms. Jarvis-Cedeno is a school administrator, a parent, and a resident of Albany.

 

Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction

 

·       Albany Community Charter School (“the school”) aims to be a small, financially viable school that will maximize the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in life.

·       Although the school has set no preference for at-risk students, it expects to attract economically disadvantaged or minority children.

·       The school will be modeled after Community Day Charter Public School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

·       The school’s principal will spend several months of the 2005-06 school year at the Community Day Charter Public School, experiencing intensive immersion in its administration, curriculum, classroom activities, and overall operations.

·       The school will partner with Community Partners, Inc. for application consultation; curriculum, standards, and academic support; and other areas.  Community Partners will not have a management relationship with the school.

·       Key design elements of the school include a relentless focus on attaining standards through the use of curriculum mapping for each benchmark for every grade level subject, assignment of approximate time for each, and a comprehensive in-school assessment system.

·       The school will establish a strong school culture, including Black Board Configuration (BBC), which is a way of focusing every lesson at the outset by identifying aims and activities.

·       The school will feature a Wall of Fame for highlighting academic accomplishments of individual students.

·       The school will teach character development.

·       The school will have a longer school day and year.

·       The school will administer weekly assessments and will make decisions informed by data, including the use of Individual Action Plans for students who are below proficiency.

·       The school will provide two instructors per class, a lead teacher and an assistant teacher.

·       The school will establish a parent council to advise the Board of Trustees.

·       The school will make provision for up to three weeks of professional development annually for its teachers.

·       Curricula provided in the proposed charter are not aligned with the State learning standards.

·       Curricula provided in the proposed charter are incomplete, with missing subjects and missing grade levels within subjects.

·       The proposed school’s daily schedule does not reflect all subjects.

·       The proposed charter does not describe the processes the school will follow to ensure that teachers will participate in IEP meetings.  Child Find provisions and IDEA reporting requirements will be observed, and parents will be kept informed of their children’s progress in meeting their IEP goals.

 

Governance

 

·       The school will have between 5 and 15 members on its Board of Trustees.

·       Initially, the school will have 10 members on its Board of Trustees (including one parent, yet to be named).

·       At least one seat on the Board of Trustees will be reserved for a parent of a child attending the school.

·       The Board of Trustees will appoint a principal, who will be assisted by a Dean of Students and a business manager.

 

Students

 

·       The school will commence instruction with up to 104 students in grades K-1, including approximately 50 kindergarten students and 50 first grade students.

·       The school plans to add one grade per year until it reaches a maximum of 338 students in grades K-4 by the 2009-10 school year.

·       In its second year of operation, the school will expand its kindergarten from 50 to 66 students.

·       Maximum class size will not exceed 26 students; the school plans for two instructors per classroom.

·       The school will implement a uniform dress code policy.

 

Budget/Facilities

 

·       The start-up budget for the Albany Community Charter School, covering approximately the 2005-06 school year, projects revenues of $275,000 and expenditures of $270,841, for a projected surplus of $4,160.

·       Anticipated revenues for the start-up period are from a federal Public Charter Schools (PCS) grant and a grant from a private foundation promised pending the receipt of a charter.

·       The operational budget for the school’s first year of operation anticipates revenues of $1,544,450 from per pupil payments, federal entitlement aid, a federal PCS grant, and a grant from a foundation that has been promised pending the receipt of a charter.

·       First-year expenditures are anticipated to be $1,448,552 for a first-year surplus of $95,898.

·       In its first year of operation, the school will likely occupy surplus space in one of the existing charter middle schools in Albany.

·       The school is considering several permanent facility options, including leasing or purchasing available buildings suitable with modifications, constructing a new building, or leasing or purchasing space in an unused building owned by the City School District of Albany.

·       The Brighter Choice Foundation will provide financial support for the school.

 

Fiscal Impact

 

·       In the first operational year of the school, 2006-07, its projected impact will be approximately $1.0 million, or about six-tenths of a percent of the district’s budget.

·       The impact is anticipated to increase by four-tenths of a percent in each subsequent year of the school’s charter.

 

Potential Fiscal Impact of Charter Schools

on the Albany City School District

2005-2010

 

Note: Adjusted expense per pupil (AEP) is based on $9,332 for 2005-06 multiplied by 4.2% (the average increase of the Albany CSD AEP from 1999-2004).  Budget is based on the actual 2005-06 amount of $157,037,632 multiplied by 6.2% (the percentage increase from 2003 to 2004).  It also assumes that all students enrolled in each charter school will come from Albany, and that all will attend as a 1.00 FTE for each school year.

Caution: the per pupil payment could increase or even decrease yearly, affecting the potential impact.  Predictions also cannot be made for charter schools beyond the final year of their charters, so the potential impact beyond the 2005-06 school year is even less certain.

 

Personnel

 

·       The Albany Community Charter School will have 12 FTE instructional staff in its first year of operation, including 4 classroom teachers, 4 assistant teachers, 2 specialty teachers, and 2 special education teachers (including a coordinator).

·       The number of instructional staff will increase from 12 to 32 over the span of the charter.

·       The school staff will initially include a principal (already hired), a Dean of Students, an administrative assistant (or assistants), a business manager and an office manager, a total of 4 FTE administrative staff, a number which will remain constant during the term of the charter.

·       The number of assistant teachers will increase from 4 in the school’s first year of operation to 13 in the last year of its charter.

·       Specialty teachers and special education teachers will increase from two to three over the term of the charter.

 

Community Support

 

·       The applicants have provided evidence in the form of survey responses from the parents of 195 students who would be eligible for grades K or 1 in 2006-07 indicating their desire to submit applications for their children’s admission to the Albany Community Charter School.

·       Such evidence would exceed the standard for adequate community support.

·       The applicants have surveyed Albany residents and received signatures in support of the Albany Community Charter School from over 1,600 residents.

·       The City School District of Albany has written with their objections to the proposed charter school, chief of which is the increase in fiscal impact on a district in which the impact is already well above five percent.

 

Recommendation

 

Return the proposed charter to the Trustees of the State University of New York for reconsideration.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

The proposed charter does not meet all of the criteria for general acceptance, and the projected increase in fiscal impact would be too great a burden for the district of location.

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Proposed Charter

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

Name of Proposed Charter School:  Leadership Preparatory Charter School (LPCS)

 

Address:  To be determined.  The applicant is seeking a facility, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education, in Region 8, District 16 (the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn).

 

Applicant(s):  Max Koltuv, Carrie Abramson, Candis Best, Gail Brousal, Caroline R. Curry, Ben Esner, Steve Meacham, Jeff Wetzler

 

Anticipated Opening Date:  August 21, 2006

 

District of Location:  New York City CSD 16/Region 8

 

Institutional Partner:  None

 

Management Partner:  None

 

Grades Served:  K-1 (K-4)                    Projected Enrollment:  128 (320)

 

Application Highlights

 

Applicant(s)

 

          The lead applicant, Max Koltuv, is a fellow of Building Excellent Schools, a Boston-based not-for-profit organization, which is “focused on improving elementary and secondary education by providing support for designing, launching and sustaining charter schools.”  Mr. Koltuv was a Planning Team Coordinator of New Visions’ World Academy for Total Community Health (WATCH) High School in Brooklyn during 2003.  The applicant worked as a strategic consultant for the Monitor Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a former sixth grade teacher at Community Day Charter School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  During his fellowship, the lead applicant conducted site visits to several charter schools, including Amistad Academy (New Haven, CT), North Star Academy (Newark, NJ), The Marva Collins Preparatory Charter School (Milwaukee, WI) and PS 141, The Crown School (Brooklyn, NY).  Mr. Koltuv will serve as the Head of School and an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees.  Mr. Koltuv is a graduate of Yale University and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. 

 

          Carrie Abramson is a Manager of Strategy for the Robin Hood Foundation, a former Engagement Manager for McKinsey and Company, and a former analyst in investment banking and government and regulatory affairs for Morgan Stanley and Co.  Ms. Abramson holds an MBA from Stanford University.

 

          Candis Best is the Network Chief Operating Officer/Chief Information Officer for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.  Ms. Best holds a JD from Villanova University, an MBA from Adelphi University and a doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook in Social Welfare Research and Policy Development. 

 

          Gail Brousal is the Head of High School at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn.  Ms. Brousal is a former teacher of basic English classes to pre-GED students and of fifth grade language arts.  The applicant holds an MPA from New York University and a BA from Saint Francis College.

 

          Caroline B. Curry is the Managing Director of Eagle Capital Management, LLP.  The applicant is a former equities analyst for Elm Ridge Capital and Goldman, Sachs and Co.  Ms. Curry holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor’s Degree from Swarthmore College. 

 

          Ben Esner is the Deputy Director of the Independence Community Foundation.  He is a former Vice President of Renee Sacks Associates, Inc.  The applicant is a former Chief of Staff for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.   Mr. Esner presently serves as Vice-President on the Board of Directors for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.  The applicant earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

 

          Steve Meacham works in the Office of General Counsel for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation.  The applicant is also the Program Director for Saturday SAT Prep and Honors at Discovery High School in the Bronx.  He is the former program director of the SAT Prep program at Brooklyn’s Bishop Loughlin High School.  Mr. Meacham is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Massachusetts. 

 

          Jeff Wetzler is a Senior Team Leader for the Monitor Group.  Mr. Wetzler is a graduate of Brown University.  The applicant is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University pursuing a degree in Adult Learning and Leadership.

 

Institutional Partner

 

None.

 

Management Partner(s)

 

None.

 

Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction

 

§       The mission of the Leadership Preparatory Charter School (LPCS) is to prepare students to excel in demanding, college-prep high schools by fostering unparalleled academic success in elementary and middle school. 

§       The educational philosophy, or core programmatic elements, of LPCS is a mixture of values that include expecting excellence, recruiting and retaining excellent teachers, issuing ongoing assessments, focusing on literacy, using research-based curricula, and promoting character development and parental involvement.

§       The school will focus on literacy and provide 200 minutes of instruction every day in kindergarten through grade three and 100 minutes per day thereafter.  A balanced literacy approach with a significant focus on phonics using Open Court Reading and SRA Reading Mastery will be used.

§       The school will also use the Waterford Early Literacy Program, a computer-based literacy tool, which will enable teacher-led reading groups of 10 students.

§       LPCS will utilize a guided reading program such as Scholastic Guided Reading or Junior Great Books; Worldly Wise 3000 will be used to build vocabulary.

§       For mathematics instruction, the school will use the Saxon Math Program curriculum as its fundamental program.  Teachers will also develop curriculum for higher level problem-solving skills during the summer professional development session.

§       For science instruction, social studies, music and art, the proposed school will utilize the Core Knowledge Sequence. 

§       The school will provide instruction in health, physical education and consumer sciences. 

§       The school excluded curriculum and performance standards for the following subjects: Languages Other Than English (LOTE); Health, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Sciences; Technology; the Arts;and Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS).

§       LPCS will administer all assessments required by New York State and the No Child Left Behind Act.  The school will administer nationally-normed exams in ELA and math, beginning in first grade.  The school will gather and report value-added data assessments in Year 5 of the charter based on the performance of first grade students tested during Year 2.

§       DIBELS or E-CLASS assessments will be administered to determine performance by students.  LPCS will also administer the TerraNova series.

§       LPCS will create internal comprehensive assessments and request external teachers and reviewers to independently verify, on a pro bono basis, the accuracy, validity, and alignment of the assessments to New York State tests. 

§       The school’s academic day will begin at 7:35 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Monday through Friday the school day concludes at 3:45 p.m.  On Wednesday, dismissal is at 1:35 p.m.  The Saturday program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

§       The school will provide tutoring, Homework Club (for students failing to complete assignments of the previous day) and additional support services from 3:45 until 5:00 p.m.

§       The school proposes to assign 30 minutes of homework each night to students in kindergarten through grade 2.  In third grade, students will receive 60 minutes of assignments. 

§       The school calendar provides 27 days for professional development throughout the year.

§       Wednesday afternoons, following the early student dismissal, will be dedicated to professional development.

§       The school proposes a 193-day school year.

§       The average class size will be 16. 

 

 

Governance

 

§       LPCS proposes to govern this school with a Board of Trustees charged with oversight for financial and management decisions. 

§       The Head of School will serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the board.   

§       The Board does not exceed the State Education Department requirement that no more than forty (40) percent of the members be affiliated with another organization.

§       Qualifications for Board members include experience in financial, legal, business, fundraising, management, governance, real estate development or education. 

§       The Board shall include an Academic Achievement Committee, a Governance Committee and a Finance Committee.

§       The initial Board of Trustees consists of 12 members.  The Board consists of 11 voting members.

§       The minimum number of Board members is 9.  The maximum number is 17.   

 

Students

 

§       The proposed charter school will begin with a planning year.  At full enrollment in Year 2, LPCS will serve 64 students in kindergarten and grade 1.  In Years 3 through 5, the school will add 64 students to the incoming kindergarten class.

§       In Year 3, the school will serve 192 students.  In Year 4, the school will serve 256 students.  In Year 5, the school will serve 320 students.

§       The school has assumed an attrition rate of seven percent in its fiscal and enrollment plans.  Under this scenario, the school anticipates serving 128, 188, 243, and 294 students in Years 2 through 5, respectively.

§       LPCS’ philosophy of serving students with disabilities is, “to minimize the impact of disabilities and maximize the opportunity for learning.”  The school will hire a full-time Special Education certified Learning Support Coordinator during Year 1 of operation. 

§       The school has provided a statement of assurances concerning services to students with disabilities.

§       LPCS’ approach to the education of English Language Learners (ELL) will be structured immersion. 

§       All oral and written communication to families of students identified as ELL students will be translated into the family’s native language to the extent possible. 

§       Additional support for ELL students may include modified English language instruction, pull-out intensive tutoring in English, push-in services by a teacher or aide fluent in the native language of the student, home visits by a staff member who speaks the language of the student and other support services.

 

Budget/Facilities

 

§       The school anticipates a $150,000 Federal PCSP Grant, a $90,000 New York City Operations grant, $70,000 from the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence and $70,000 in private donations. 

§       The proposed charter school anticipates receiving space in a New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE)  school.  The school has budgeted a charge of $6/sq. ft. for NYCDOE space based on fees charged to other charter schools.  The budget reserves $60,000 for rent.   LPCS budgeted $10,000 for maintenance and construction and $4,000 for maintenance. 

§       The budget provides for teachers to be paid at the following rates: Master Teachers - $51,000; Teachers ($46,000); Learning Support Coordinator ($51,000); Specialty Teachers ($46,000).  $3,000 will be paid to as many as four teachers electing to teach the Saturday Academy.  $25,000 has been budgeted for the services of a part-time development specialist to assist the Head of School in fundraising efforts.

§       The proposed charter school is engaged in conversations with NYCDOE to secure a facility.

 

Personnel

 

§       During its planning year, the school will hire, on a part-time basis, the Head of School, the school principal, a business manager and an office manager. 

§       In Year 2, the school will add four Master Teachers, four teachers, one specialty teacher, one Learning Support Coordinator (special education certified), and a Dean of Students. 

§       In Year 3, the school will add two Master Teachers, two teachers, and a .5 FTE specialty teacher.

§       In Year 4, the school will add two Master Teachers, two teachers, and a .5 FTE specialty teacher.

§       In Year 5, the school will add two Master Teachers, two teachers, a specialty teacher, and a second Dean of Students.

§       The school will contract for the services of a nurse.

§       The proposed Head of School is Max Koltuv.

 

Fiscal Impact

 

§       When fully enrolled with 320 students, the charter school will receive no more than 0.017% of the New York City Department of Education budget (See Potential Fiscal Impact Chart).

§       The school’s first-year anticipated budget total is $0 due to the use of Year 1 as a planning year.  The start-up budget is for $327,706.  The applicant anticipates a budget surplus of more than $17,000 entering the first year of the charter.

§       Programmatic and fiscal audits will comply with all requirements made of public schools.  The school will employ a New York State licensed public accountant or certified public accountant to perform the fiscal audit.  In addition, the school will ensure that the audit is conducted in accordance with GAAP issued by the U.S. Comptroller General.

 

Potential Fiscal Impact of

Leadership Prep Charter School

* Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the district’s budget from a 2003-2004 base allocation of $13.8 billion, and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2004-2005 final average expense per pupil of $8,586.

 

Community Support

 

§       More than 280 signatures from parents were collected on the Parent Petition of Support. 

§       The school has received letters of support from over 35 community-based organizations and/or elected officials serving the educational, cultural, business and political interests of central Brooklyn.

§       Several community organizations have pledged to support LPCS is recruiting parents and conducting outreach.

 

Recommendation

 

Return the proposed charter to the Trustees of the State University of New York for reconsideration.

 

Reasons For Recommendation

 

The proposed charter does not include each of the 11 subjects and 28 performance standards required by the Board of Regents.  The subjects excluded from the application are Languages Other Than English (LOTE); Health, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Sciences; Technology; the Arts; and Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS).