Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume59/d17759
Timestamp: 2019-10-14 16:04:45
Document Index: 41599068

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

Decision No. 17,759 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,759
Appeal of BROOKLYN PROSPECT CHARTER SCHOOL - CSD 15.2 from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding school utilization.
BERLIN., Interim Commissioner.--Petitioner, Brooklyn Prospect Charter School - CSD 15.2 (“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 Trustees of the State University of New York (“SUNY”) to serve students in kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12. It is scheduled to commence instruction in the 2019-2020 school year. According to the record, in its first year of operation, petitioner will serve students in grade 6. Petitioner will then also serve students in kindergarten and grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year; grade 1 and grades 8 through 12 in the 2021-2022 school year; grade 2 in the 2022-2023 school year; and grade 3 in the 2023-2024 school year.[1]
On August 5, 2019, petitioner submitted a written request for co-location to DOE for its kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12. By letter dated August 14, 2019, DOE acknowledged petitioner’s request, 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 to pay, commencing with the 2019-2020 school year and continuing thereafter, rental assistance in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
Here, the request for co-location space for petitioner to serve kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12 was submitted on August 5, 2019. In its August 14, 2019 response to petitioner’s request, DOE stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.” However, in response to petitioner’s request, DOE was required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1) to offer petitioner space in a privately-owned or publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner. As DOE has not offered any facilities at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner, it failed to comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1).
In accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), DOE is, therefore, required to pay petitioner rental assistance based on student enrollment in kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12 - the grades for which the school has been approved to provide instruction - during its 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[2] (see Appeal of Our World Neighborhood Charter School, 56 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 17,065; Appeal of Uncommon New York City Charter School, 56 id., Decision No. 17,010; Appeal of Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, 54 id., Decision No. 16,690). I note that Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) provides for rental assistance based on current school year enrollment, not the enrollment projections set forth in the charter, for each year of the charter term. Specifically, with respect to a new charter school, “if the appeal results in a determination in favor of the charter school, the city school district shall pay the charter school an amount attributable to ... the formation of the new charter school ...” that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
The record in this case indicates that petitioner will first commence instruction in the 2019-2020 school year, serving students in grade 6, and will the also serve students in kindergarten and grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year; grade 1 and grades 8 through 12 in the 2021-2022 school year; grade 2 in the 2022-2023 school year; and grade 3 in the 2023-2024 school year. Accordingly, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), DOE must pay petitioner for the requested kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12 in each year of the 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 the formation of the new charter school that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5). As noted above, DOE is obligated to pay for kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 6 through 12 in the newly-opened charter school in each year of the initial 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; the amount payable must be based on the charter school’s actual current year enrollment (see Appeal of Our World Neighborhood Charter School, 56 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 17,065; Appeal of Uncommon New York City Charter School, 56 id., Decision No. 17,010; Appeal of Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, 54 id., Decision No. 16,690).