Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume58/d17651
Timestamp: 2020-07-02 12:17:23
Document Index: 124583115

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853']

Decision No. 17,651 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,651
Appeal of IMAGINE ME LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding school utilization.
Bryant Rabbino LLP, attorneys for petitioner, Joshua D. Bloodworth, Esq., of counsel
ELIA., Commissioner.--Petitioner, Imagine Me Leadership Charter School (“the school”), challenges the New York City Department of Education’s (“DOE” or “respondent”) failure to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at DOE’s expense and at no cost to petitioner, as required by Education Law §2853(3)(e). The appeal must be sustained.
Petitioner is authorized by respondent’s Chancellor (“Chancellor”) to serve students in kindergarten through grade 8.[1] Petitioner’s initial charter was issued in January 2010, authorizing it to serve students in kindergarten through grade 5. Petitioner currently serves students in kindergarten through grade 5. According to the record, the school first opened for instruction in the 2010-2011 school year, serving students in kindergarten and grade 1, and added one grade in each succeeding school year. Accordingly, petitioner expanded to serve students in grade 5 in the 2014-2015 school year. In April 2019, its charter was renewed for a term up through and including June 30, 2024, and was revised to authorize it to expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8. Petitioner will serve students in grade 6 in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 in the 2021-2022 school year.
On December 3, 2018, a written request for co-location was submitted for petitioner’s grades 5 through 8, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e), using DOE’s online “Portal.”[2] By letter dated April 15, 2019, DOE acknowledged petitioner’s request for “space ... beginning in the 2019-2020 school year,” but stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.” This appeal ensued.
Petitioner asserts that, in the 2019-2020 school year, it will require space in which to serve its students in grades 5 through 8. Petitioner also asserts that DOE failed to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at no cost to petitioner, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e). As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE to pay rental assistance in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
Petitioner asserts that DOE failed to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at no cost to petitioner, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e). Education Law §2853(3)(e) provides that, in the City School District of the City of New York, charter schools that require additional space due to an expansion of grade level approved by their charter entity for the 2014-2015 school year or thereafter, and request co-location in a public school building, shall be provided access to facilities. The statute also requires that, within the later of five months after a charter school’s written request for co-location and 30 days after the charter school’s charter is approved by the charter entity, the city school district shall offer the charter school either a co-location site in a public school building approved by the board of education as provided by law at no cost to the charter school, or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to the charter school (Education Law §2853[3][e][1]).
The record indicates that petitioner expanded to serve students in grade 5 in the 2014-2015 school year. The record further indicates that, in April 2019, petitioner was authorized by its charter entity to further expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8. Petitioner will expand to serve students in grade 6 in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 in the 2021-2022 school year.
Therefore, on the record before me, I find that petitioner has established that it requires additional space due to an expansion of grade level that was approved by its charter entity for the 2014-2015 school year or thereafter. Petitioner has, thus, met all the statutory criteria and is entitled either to a co-location or to an offer of private or other publicly-owned space (see Education Law §2853[3][e]; Appeal of New York City Montessori Charter School, 54 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 16,747).
Accordingly, having failed to make such an offer, DOE must, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), pay petitioner for its grade 5 through 8, commencing with the 2019-2020 school year,[3] and in each remaining year of the school’s current charter term and any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, rental assistance in an amount attributable to the grade level expansion that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).[4]
Therefore, DOE must pay petitioner for the school’s grades 5 and 6 commencing in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 commencing in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 commencing in the 2021-2022 school year, and in each remaining year of the school’s current charter term and any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, an amount attributable to its expansion to grades 5 through 8 that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
In this instance, there is no evidence in the record that petitioner has been afforded the opportunity to select an alternative privately-owned site for the requested grades 5 through 8, and respondent must afford petitioner an opportunity to do so. Petitioner must present DOE with evidence of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site so that DOE can determine whether such rental cost is less than the amount computed pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5)(B).
IT IS ORDERED that respondent comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) in accordance with this decision and pay petitioner, commencing with the 2019-2020 school year, for its grades 5 through 8 for each remaining year of the current charter term and for any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, an amount attributable to the grade-level expansion that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
[3] Although petitioner’s prayer for relief cites the 2015-2016 school year, the entirety of the petition and the record indicate that petitioner’s request for space was for the 2019-2020 school year and thereafter. In any event, there is no evidence in the record that any request for space was made for the 2015-2016 school year or for any year prior to the 2019-2020 school year.