Meeting of the Board of Regents | July 2009

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendation concerning the proposed revision to the initial charter for Future Leaders Institute Charter School (New York City)?

Background Information

We received a request from the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York to revise the charter for Future Leaders Institute Charter School (FLI or “the School”).  The School is located in Community School District (CSD) 3, Manhattan.  The initial charter was approved by the Board of Regents in March 2005.  The Board of Regents approved a revision to the School’s charter in July 2008 allowing FLI to increase the annual enrollment target from 300 students, as projected in the initial charter, to 325 students.  FLI currently seeks to increase enrollment from 325 students to 345 in 2009-2010, the final year of its initial charter.  The increase will be applied to grades 1 – 3 and will prepare the School for organic growth; higher enrollment in the lower grades will result in a greater number of students in the upper grades.  

The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in CSD 3 on July 13, 2009 regarding the proposed revision.  Attendees were in favor of the revision. 

Recommendation

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves the revision to the initial charter of the Future Leaders Institute Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York, and the provisional charter is amended accordingly.

Reasons for Recommendation

              The proposed revision to the School’s initial charter, along with the other terms of the initial charter: (1) meets 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) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially furthers 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 Future Leaders Institute Charter School will be effective immediately.

Attachment 1

Future Leaders Institute Charter School Enrollment Plan