Meeting of the Board of Regents | July 2008

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendation concerning the proposed revision to the initial charter of the Carl C. Icahn Charter School Far Rockaway (New York City)?

Reason(s) for Consideration

              Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

Proposed Handling

This question will come before the EMSC Committee in July 2008 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action in July 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 received a request from the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York to revise the charter for the Carl C. Icahn Charter School Far Rockaway (“the School”). The School seeks to amend its Charter Agreement as follows: The name “Carl C. Icahn Charter School South Bronx” shall henceforth constructively replace, substitute for and supersede all references within the Charter to “Carl C. Icahn Charter School Far Rockaway.”  Furthermore, the School seeks to amend its Charter Agreement to reflect a new location in Community School District (CSD) 8 in the Bronx as opposed to Far Rockaway, Queens (CSD 27).  The School has submitted evidence of the revised charter agreement executed on July 23, 2008 between the applicant, Julie Goodyear and the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York. The School will be located in Community School District (CSD) 8 in The Bronx.  It will open on September 2, 2008.

Pursuant to Education Law §2857(1), prior to the issuance, revision or renewal of a charter, the school district in which the charter school will be located is required to hold a public hearing in the community potentially impacted by the charter school to solicit comments from the community.  The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing on May 1, 2008, regarding the proposed name change and location of the School.  No comments regarding these proposed revisions were made or received at this hearing.

Staff recommends that the Board of Regents approves the revision.

Recommendation

              VOTED: That the Board of Regents approves the revisions to the initial charter of the Carl C. Icahn Charter School Far Rockaway as proposed by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, and the provisional charter is amended accordingly.

Reasons for Recommendation

              The proposed revisions to the school’s charter, along with the other terms of the charter: (1) 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 school 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.

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the Carl C. Icahn Charter School Far Rockaway is effective immediately.