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

 

TO:	The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents
FROM:	James A. Kadamus
COMMITTEE:	EMSC-VESID
TITLE OF ITEM:	Charter Schools:  Revisions to Existing Charters
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	June 1, 2004
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Approval
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	Statutory Authority to Act on Charter Schools Applications and to Approve Amendments to Charters
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY:

 

The Board of Regents is authorized to approve proposed revisions to existing charters. The SUNY Board of Trustees has submitted to the Board of Regents a proposed revision to the charter for the Ark Community Charter School.  The proposed revision is to allow the school to increase its targeted enrollment for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years.  The revision would permit the school to add one section of kindergarten each year and to increase class sizes to 20 students.  Under the revision, the maximum population of the school would increase from 96 to 160 students. 

 

The Board of Education of the Buffalo Public Schools has submitted to the Board of Regents a proposed revision to the charter for the Enterprise Charter School. The proposed revision is to allow the school to serve grades K-9 instead of K-8 starting in the 2004-05 school year.  The targeted enrollment would increase from 405 students to 460 students.

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve the proposed revisions to the charters of the following charter schools based upon the information contained in the attachments and upon a finding by the Board of Regents that: (1) the revision meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the revision (together with the other terms of the charter) will permit the charter school to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and (3) the revision (together with the other terms of the charter) 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:

 

·        The Ark Community Charter School, Troy

·        Enterprise Charter School, Buffalo

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves revisions to the certificates of incorporation of the Ark Community Charter School and the Enterprise Charter School.