TO:	EMSC Committee
FROM:	John B. King, Jr.
SUBJECT:	Charter Schools: Initial Application for  the West Buffalo Charter School
DATE:	February 2, 2010
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the application to establish the West Buffalo Charter School (Buffalo City School District)?

Background Information

We have received an application for the establishment of the West Buffalo Charter School (“the School”).  The School will open in August 2010.  Initially, the School will serve 162 students in grades K-2, and grow to serve 270 students in grades K-4 in its third year of operation and thereafter.  The School’s mission includes “a small group learning environment, intensive focus on building student literacy and personal management skills, ongoing commitment to staff development, the use of innovative instructional tools, integration of technology into instruction and partnerships with local institutions and community organizations.”

The School does not have a management partner.  The School has two institutional partners, the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center and D’Youville College, both of which partners will have a representative serving on the Board of Trustees.  The College will place student teachers at the school, as well as provide professional development and other educational services.  The Center will train the speech pathologists who are incorporated into each classroom in the use of the Language to Literacy methodology and Fast ForWord software.

Based on the application, the School will provide instruction for eight hours a day for 202 days per academic year. 

A public hearing was held on August 26, 2009.  There were no comments made or received regarding the establishment of the School.  Additionally, the Buffalo City School District made no comments.

Recommendation

              VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves the application for the West Buffalo Charter School.

    

Reasons for Recommendation

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

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the West Buffalo Charter School is effective immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

Summary of Proposed Charter

Name of Proposed Charter School:  West Buffalo Charter School

Address:  c/o Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center, 50 East North Street, Buffalo, New York 14203-1002 (temporary address)

Applicant(s):  James M. Sampson and Joseph J. Cozzo

Anticipated Opening Date:  August 16, 2010

District of Location:  Buffalo City School District

 

Charter Entity:  Board of Regents

Institutional Partner(s):  Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center and D’Youville College

Management Partner(s):   N/A

Grades Served:                      2010-2011:  K-2

2011-2012:  K-3

2012-2013:  K-4

2013-2014:  K-4

2014-2015:  K-4

 

Projected Enrollment:         2010-2011:  162

2011-2012:  216

2012-2013:  270

2013-2014:  270

2014-2015:  270

 

Proposed Charter Highlights

Applicant

              The lead applicant, James M. Sampson, is President and CEO of Gateway-Longview, a multi-faceted community agency offering services to children such as residential care, education, and community-based programs.  He has extensive experience in leadership roles, working with boards of directors, funding sources, community groups, and external policy and advocacy groups.

              The second applicant, Joseph J. Cozzo, is the President and CEO of Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center and has extensive experience and training in working with children and youth.  He is a board member of many family-centered community organizations and regional health organizations.  He holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree in psychology and is a New York State licensed counselor.

 

Institutional Partners

              The Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center is a community agency which offers diagnosis and treatment of hearing and speech impairments and related special education services.  It is accredited by the National Association of Speech and Hearing Centers and is licensed by the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department.

              D’Youville College is a private, coeducational college located on the west side of the city of Buffalo.  It offers programs in education and numerous health related specialties including occupational and physical therapy and dietetics.  The college will seek opportunities for partnerships with the School in research and collaborative grants, particularly in the areas of linguistics, special education and with their Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program.  The dietetics department will assist the School in the planning and operation of the school lunch program.            

Management Partner

              N/A

Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction

 

• A small school learning environment, with small class sizes and a low teacher to student ratio to provide more nurturing, individualized and differentiated student instruction and programming.
• A school program built around a systematic approach to student language acquisition that leads to literacy while simultaneously building strong study skills, self-advocacy, and self-discipline that benefits students in every subject, throughout their education and beyond.
• Academic enrichment opportunities to enhance and extend student learning.
• Comprehensive and consistent monitoring of student learning progress and quick remediation and intervention supports to raise students to appropriate achievement levels.
• D’Youville College will offer mentoring and best practices to teachers; to share expertise in diverse cultures, community connections and social services; and to provide opportunities for student teachers to experience an urban charter school environment.
• Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center will provide speech-language pathologists (dual certified in elementary education) trained in the Language to Literacy program and methodology who will work with teachers on systematic instruction in literacy skills and provide students with speech and hearing assessments.
• The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Music Education Department will provide resources such as visiting artists, world-class concert experiences, and lessons integrated with NYS learning standards.
• A longer, family-friendly school day and extended school year will provide more time on task for students, helping to increase student learning and achievement.
• An educational model that is outcome based to achieve the utmost learning potential in each student.
• Innovative learning opportunities, hands-on instructional approaches and personal development skills integrated throughout the curriculum.
• Comprehensive and ongoing assessment of student academic achievement with multiple assessment measures.

 

Governance

 

• The School’s By-Laws provide for a board of trustees consisting of seven members, three of whom shall be At-Large Trustees, two of whom shall be Institutional Partner Representative Trustees, with one Parent Representative Trustee and one teacher Representative Trustee.
• Trustees shall be strongly committed to improving public educational opportunities for all children and fully supportive of West Buffalo Charter School’s mission statement, goals and objectives.
• The Board of Trustees will have three year terms, but the founding members will have terms ending after one, two or three years to create staggered changes in membership.  Parent Board members will be elected for three  year terms and will serve for as much of that term as they have a child enrolled in the School.
• The officers of the Board of Trustees will consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
• The board shall create committees, standing and ad hoc, as it deems necessary.

 

Students

 

• The School’s promotional materials will be printed in English and at least one other language.
• Promotional materials will include provisions for non-discrimination and state the School’s interest in serving students with disabilities and those who are English language learners.
• Outreach efforts will include after-school programs, business and civic organizations, community organizations of all kinds, direct mailings, flyers posted and distributed, public elementary schools, radio and print advertising, school website and community websites, and youth and community centers.  Each of these strategies will include recruitment of students with disabilities and ELL students.
• The School will accept timely applications until close of business on April 1.  

 

Budget/Facilities

 

• The School is involved in a search for a suitable site within the Buffalo City School District.
• The Board of Trustees will hire a CPA firm to conduct annual financial audits, which will be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States and the standards applicable to financial audits in “Government Auditing Standards.”
• The School has established a dissolution fund of $75,000 in its first year budget.
• The School’s Year One projected start-up revenue will be $2,400,848 and will grow to $3,951,161 in Year Five.
• The Year One budget anticipates total expenses of $2,403,806 and in Year Five of $3,935,468.
• The School anticipates and ending fund balance of $4,087 at the end of Year One and of $15, 694 at the end of Year Five.
• The projected fiscal impact of the School is indicated below.

 

Projected Fiscal Impact of

West Buffalo Charter School

2010-11 through 2014-15

2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
0.19	0.27	0.34	0.35	0.35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Projected* Fiscal Impact Of All Charter Schools In Buffalo

2010-11 Through 2014-15*

School	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School	0.39	0.39	0.40	0.40	0.41
Buffalo Academy of Science CS	0.58	0.59	0.60	0.60	0.61
Buffalo United CS	0.90	0.91	0.93	0.94	0.94
CS for Applied Technologies**	1.90	1.90	1.95	1.98	1.70
COMMUNITY CS	0.44	0.45	0.46	0.47	0.47
Elmwood Village CS	0.23	0.23	0.23	0.23	0.24
Enterprise CS	0.52	0.53	0.54	0.54	0.55
Health Sciences Charter School***	0.12	0.23	0.35	0.45	0.55
King Center CS	0.13	0.14	0.14	0.14	0.14
Oracle CS	0.46	0.47	0.48	0.48	0.49
Pinnacle CS	0.62	0.63	0.64	0.64	0.65
South Buffalo CS	0.80	0.81	0.82	0.83	0.84
Tapestry CS	0.61	0.66	0.67	0.68	0.68
West Buffalo CS	0.19	0.27	0.34	0.35	0.35
Western NY Maritime CS	0.42	0.42	0.43	0.44	0.44
Westminster Community CS	0.71	0.72	0.73	0.74	0.74
Total Projected Impact	8.63	8.94	9.29	9.48	9.39

*Assumes a 3.0 percent annual increase in the district’s budget and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil.  Projections are subject to fluctuation in actual enrollments, FTE enrollments, AOE, and district budgets.  Further assumes all students will come from the district of location (with exceptions noted), and that all other charter schools will still be in operation from 2010-11 forward.

** Located within Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District but receives approximately 85 percent of its student enrollment from Buffalo.   Impact is therefore calculated upon 85 percent of its anticipated enrollment.

*** Located within Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District but expects to receive approximately 84 percent of its student enrollment from Buffalo.  Impact is therefore calculated upon 84 percent of its anticipated enrollment as well as on the district of location.

Personnel

 

• The School will employ a Director as head of the School, an Office Manager, Special Education Coordinator, Parent Liaison, School Counselor and other such positions as the Board shall create.
• The School will provide instruction in all twenty-eight New York State Learning Standard areas.
• Special education staff will be appropriately certified in accordance with and as defined by 34 CFR 300.18.

• Each classroom, in addition to the classroom teacher and a teaching assistant, will have a speech-language pathologist, dually certified in elementary education.
• The School will employ a full time registered nurse.

 

Community Support

 

• The required public hearing was held on August 26, 2009. There were no comments made regarding the establishment of the School.
• The Buffalo City School District, the district of location, provided no comments regarding the establishment of the School. 
• The applicants provided petitions from parents of one hundred seventy-five children who would be eligible to enroll in the School in August of 2010.