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

 

TO:	EMSC-VESID Committee
FROM:	Jean C. Stevens
SUBJECT:	Charter School Revision
DATE:	June 14, 2006
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Board of Regents approve the request to revise the existing charter of the Harlem Success Charter School? 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law 2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Regents EMSC-VESID Committee on June 19, 2006 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action on June 20, 2006.

 

Procedural History

 

Under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, the Board of Regents and the charter entity are authorized to approve revisions to charters.  The Board is also authorized to make recommendations regarding the revision of existing charters on applications submitted by another charter entity or directly to it as a charter entity.  Subsequent to approval, the Board must then issue the initial charter or the renewal charter for each school, as applicable.

 

 

Background Information

 

We received one request for approval of revisions to the existing charter for the Harlem Success Charter School.  The initial charter for the Harlem Success Charter School was issued by the Regents on December 9, 2005. The School has submitted a proposed revised charter that would:

 

• Change the name of the school to the “Harlem Success Academy Charter School.”
• Extend the length of its instructional program. The School will offer an additional hour and a half of instruction on Mondays-Thursdays and will shorten the instructional day by an hour and a half on Fridays. 
• Postpone the offering of a foreign language. The School will revisit the issue and make a decision at the end of the 2006-2007 school year regarding the offering of a second language to its students for the 2007-2008 school year.

 

Complete copies of the proposed charter and material pertaining to the amendments are available from Shelia Evans-Tranumn at 718-722-2796.

 

Recommendation

 

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve the proposed revisions to the charter of the Harlem Success Charter School, and any amendment to its provisional charter that is necessary, to change its name to the “Harlem Success Academy Charter School,” to extend its instructional day, and to delay the offering of a foreign language,  the charter as revised:  (1) will 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) 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.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

Upon approval by the Board of Regents, the revisions to the charter will become effective immediately.