Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume59/d17796
Timestamp: 2019-12-14 13:02:26
Document Index: 189702371

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

Decision No. 17,796 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,796
James E. Johnson, Corporation Counsel, attorney for respondent, Andrew J. Rauchberg, Esq., of counsel
TAHOE., Acting Commissioner.--Petitioner, Harlem Hebrew Language Academy 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 the Board of Regents (“Regents”) to serve students in kindergarten through grade 8. Its initial charter was issued in 2012, authorizing it to serve students in kindergarten through grade 5. In January 2018, its charter was renewed for a term up through and including June 30, 2022, and revised to authorize it to expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8.[1] According to petitioner, in accordance with its approved expansion, it expanded to serve students in grade 6 in the 2018-2019 school year and grade 7 in the 2019-2020 school year, and will expand to serve students in grade 8 in the 2020-2021 school year.[2]
On October 16, 2019, a written request for co-location was submitted for petitioner’s grades 7 and 8, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e), using DOE’s online “Portal.” By letter dated October 18, 2019, DOE acknowledged petitioner’s request for space, but stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.” This appeal ensued.
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 the school, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e). As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, 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 for its grades 7 and 8, at no cost to the school, 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, in January 2018, petitioner was authorized by its charter entity to expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8, and that it expanded to serve students in grade 6 in the 2018-2019 school year.[3] Petitioner expanded to serve students in grade 7 in the 2019-2020 school year and will expand to serve students in grade 8 in the 2020-2021 school year, expansions for which it requires additional space.[4] 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]).
Therefore, DOE must pay petitioner for its newly-added grade 7 commencing in the 2019-2020 school year and grade 8 commencing in the 2020-2021 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 7 and 8 that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
[1] In previous appeals, decisions were issued ordering DOE to comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) with respect to petitioner’s request for space relating to its grades 2 through 5 (see Appeal of Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, 54 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 16,742) and grade 6 (see Appeal of Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, 58 id., Decision No. 17,434).
[3] Petitioner has previously been awarded rental assistance relating to its expansion to grade 6 in 2018-2019 (see Appeal of Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, 58 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 17,434).
[4] According to the chief operating officer of petitioner’s charter management organization, the expansion to serve grades 7 and 8 requires additional space and, as a result of DOE’s failure to offer space, petitioner has incurred, and will continue to incur, rental costs and expenses.