Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume56/d16953
Timestamp: 2019-08-25 14:25:23
Document Index: 84566893

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

Decision No. 16,953 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 16,953
Cohen Schneider & O’Neill LLP, attorneys for petitioner, Cliff S. Schneider, Lisa J. Holtzmuller, and Nisha N. Ragha, Esqs., of counsel
BERLIN, Acting Commissioner.--Petitioner, Bronx Charter School for Excellence (“BCSE”), an existing education corporation with authority to operate Bronx Charter School for Excellence 2 (“BCSE 2” or “the school”) challenges the New York City Department of Education’s (“DOE” or “respondent”) failure to offer the school a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or 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 in part.
Petitioner is an education corporation authorized by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“SUNY”). The record indicates that, on October 15, 2015, SUNY approved BCSE’s proposal to operate BCSE 2. BCSE 2 is authorized to serve students in kindergarten through grade five in Community School District 11. It is scheduled to commence instruction in the 2016-2017 school year, serving students in kindergarten and grade one and will add one grade level in each succeeding school year until the 2020-2021 school year, when it will serve students in kindergarten through grade five.
By letter to DOE dated June 17, 2016, the school requested co-location in a public school building in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e). By letter dated July 1, 2016, DOE acknowledged the school’s June 17, 2016 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 any facilities in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5). It seeks an order directing DOE to comply with its statutory obligation under Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) beginning with the 2016-2017 school year and continuing thereafter.
Petitioner asserts that DOE failed to respond to the school’s request for co-location space with an offer of either co-location space in a public school building or space in another public or private facility at no cost to petitioner. Education Law §2853(3)(e) provides that in the City School District of the City of New York, charter schools that are approved by their charter entity to first commence instruction 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 its July 1, 2016, response to the school’s request for co-location space, DOE stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.” However, in the event that DOE did not offer the school a co-location site in a public school building, it was nevertheless required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1) to offer the school space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner. As it did not do either, DOE failed to comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1).
The record in this case indicates that the school will first commence instruction in the 2016–2017 school year serving students in kindergarten and first grade with an estimated enrollment of 120 students. Accordingly, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), DOE must pay petitioner in each year of the school’s current charter term the lesser of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site selected by petitioner or 20 percent of the product of the school’s basic tuition for the current school year (e.g., the 2016-2017 school year in the first year) and the school’s enrollment for the current school year (e.g., the 2016-2017 school year in the first year). As noted above, DOE is obligated to pay for all the grades in the newly-opened charter school in each year of the initial charter term; the amount payable must be based on the charter school’s actual current year enrollment (Appeal of Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, 54 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 16,690).
IT IS ORDERED that DOE comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) in accordance with this decision and pay petitioner, with respect to the school, the lesser of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site selected by petitioner or 20 percent of the product of the school’s basic tuition for the current school year and school’s current year enrollment.