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

 

TO:	Full Board
FROM:	Jean C. Stevens
SUBJECT:	Charter School Revision
DATE:	September 25, 2006
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)

 

Should the Board of Regents approve the request to grant a material change to the charter of the Southside Academy Charter School (Syracuse)? 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Full Board for action at the October meeting. 

 

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 existing charters.   

 

Background Information

 

We have received a request for a revision to the charter of the Southside Academy Charter School (“the School”).  The Board of Regents is the charter entity for the School.

 

The initial charter for the Southside Academy Charter School was granted by the Regents on January 16, 2002.  Pursuant to Section 2.2 of its charter agreement, the School can request permission to operate at less than 85 percent of its original approved enrollment. The School has requested, and has been granted such permission, for each of its five years of operation, including this 2006-2007 school year. (Facility issues have prevented the School from meeting its enrollment goals.)  With the 2006-2007 school year being the final year of its initial charter term, the terms and conditions of that portion of the approved charter have been altered, and consent of the Board of Regents is required.

 

 With reference to the table below, the original approved enrollment figures are those found in the School’s initial charter.  The revised targeted enrollment figures represent the revised enrollment targets for each year of the School’s operation.

Academic Year	Original Approved Enrollment	Revised Targeted Enrollment
2002-2003	240	148
2003-2004	480	308
2004-2005	555	329
2005-2006	630	400
2006-2007	655	450

 

 

Complete copies of the current charter and materials pertaining to the requested revision to the charter are available from James C. Viola at 518-474-4817.

 

Recommendation

 

VOTED:   That the Board of Regents approve the proposed revision to the charter of the Southside Academy Charter School, and any amendment to its provisional charter that is necessary.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

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

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

The revision to the charter of the Southside Academy Charter School (together with the other terms of its charter) (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.