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Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010 - 8:30am

sed seal                                                                                                                             

 

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

 

TO:

 

FROM:

John B. King, Jr.

SUBJECT:

Charter Schools:  Dissolution of the Stepping Stone Academy Charter School

DATE:

April 5, 2010

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 1 and 2

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

             

Should the Board of Regents dissolve the Stepping Stone Academy Charter School as requested by its board of trustees?    

Reason(s) for Consideration

              Required by Education Law §§ 219 and 2853.

             

Procedural History

 

The Board of Regents is authorized to order the dissolution of a charter school education corporation, upon application of at least three-fourths of the trustees of the corporation, if the Board of Regents is satisfied that there is no sufficient reason for the continuance of the corporation, and if all taxes chargeable to the corporation have been paid.

 

Background Information

             

The Board of Regents, on March 20, 2001, granted a provisional charter to the Stepping Stone Academy Charter School (the “School” or “corporation”), a charter school located in the Buffalo City School District (Erie County), for the purpose of operating a charter school.  The School opened for instruction in September 2001.  In February 2006, a short-term renewal to the charter was granted to allow the School to continue operations through July 31, 2006. The School’s charter entity, the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“SUNY”) recommended that the School’s operations cease as of July 31, 2006.  The School ceased educational operations at the end of the 2005-2006 school year.   

The School’s board of trustees (“Trustees”) is now petitioning the Board of Regents to dissolve the corporation’s provisional charter on the basis that its charter was not renewed by SUNY, and that it was required to cease educational operations at the end of the 2005-2006 school year (i.e., in June 2006).  The School’s Trustees indicate that all taxes payable by the corporation have been paid, that the School holds no assets remaining for distribution and/or which are legally required to be used for a particular purpose, and that all of its trustees voted in favor of the School’s dissolution.  In addition, the School’s Trustees assert that the School has transferred all of its student records to the Buffalo City School District, and that the School’s students were transferred to either that district or the district in which each student resided.   

Recommendation

VOTED: That the provisional charter of the Stepping Stone Academy Charter School (the “Corporation”), located in the City of Buffalo, County of Erie, State of New York, which was granted by the Board of Regents on March 20, 2001, and extended by the Board of Regents on February 14, 2006  be, and the same hereby is, dissolved, that notice to such effect be given to the board of trustees of the Corporation, that any student records be transferred to the Buffalo City School District in accordance with the provisions of Education Law §2851(2)(t), that all other corporate books and records be transferred to the New York State Education Department’s Office of Public School Choice, and that any remaining assets of the Corporation be distributed in accordance with the procedures set forth in Education Law §220.    

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action is effective immediately.