Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume58/d17525
Timestamp: 2019-08-18 15:55:01
Document Index: 51394207

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§276']

Decision No. 17,525 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,525
ELIA, Commissioner.--Petitioner, Classical Charter Schools,[1] an existing education corporation with authority to operate South Bronx Classical Charter School II (“the school”), challenges the New York City Department of Education’s (“DOE” or “respondent”) failure to offer a co-location site for the school 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 to operate the school, which is currently authorized to serve students in kindergarten through grade 8. The school first opened for instruction in the 2014-2015 school year and was initially authorized to serve students in kindergarten through grade 5. In May 2018, the school’s charter was renewed and revised to authorize it to serve students in grades 6 through 8.
On July 27, 2018, the school submitted a written request for co-location for its grades 6 through 8 using DOE’s on-line portal.[2] By letter dated August 1, 2018, DOE acknowledged the school’s request for space beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, 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 facilities for the school, as required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1). As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE to pay rental assistance for its expansion to serve grades 6 through 8, in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
Respondent admits that it denied the school’s request for co-location space and that petitioner is eligible for a finding in its favor.
Petitioner asserts that DOE failed to offer the school facilities for the school’s expansion to grades 6 through 8, 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]).
Here, DOE admits that it responded to the school’s co-location request and that it did not offer space to the school. However, in response to the school’s request, DOE was required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1) to offer the school 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).
The record indicates that petitioner’s request to revise the school’s charter to expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8 was approved by its charter entity and that the school’s expansion began in the 2018-2019 school year, an expansion for which it requires additional space. Therefore, on the record before me, I find that petitioner has established that the school 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]).
Accordingly, having failed to make such an offer, DOE must, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), pay petitioner, commencing with the 2018-2019 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, rental assistance based on student enrollment in the newly-added grades 6 through 8 for which the school has been approved to provide instruction.[3] Specifically, with respect to an existing charter school whose expansion of grade level is approved by its charter entity, “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 grade level expansion” that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
Therefore, DOE must pay petitioner for the school’s newly-added grades 6 through 8, commencing in the 2018-2019 school year, and in each remaining year of the 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 6 through 8 that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).
[1] Pursuant to §276.6 of the Commissioner’s regulations, I have taken administrative notice of the records on file with the New York State Education Department indicating that Classical Charter Schools operates several charter schools, including South Bronx Classical Charter School II, which was initially authorized by the Board of Regents on June 19, 2012. At its April 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents approved the merger of South Bronx Classical Charter School and South Bronx Classical Charter School III with South Bronx Classical Charter School II; South Bronx Classical Charter School II is the surviving corporation under the amended name Classical Charter Schools.