Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume56/d17067
Timestamp: 2019-03-19 23:37:42
Document Index: 6807532

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

Decision No. 17,067 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,067
Appeal of HEBREW LANGUAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 2 from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding school utilization.
Cohen Schneider LLP, attorneys for petitioner, Cliff S. Schneider and Nisha N. Ragha, Esqs., of counsel
ELIA, Commissioner.--Petitioner, Hebrew Language Academy Charter School 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 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 a charter school authorized by the Board of Regents to serve students in kindergarten through grade five in Community School District (“CSD”) 21. Its provisional charter was issued on November 15, 2016 for a five-year term. It is scheduled to commence instruction in the 2017-2018 school year serving students in kindergarten and grade one, and will expand one grade level each year until the 2021-2022 school year, at which time it will serve students in kindergarten through grade five.
By letter to DOE dated December 8, 2016, petitioner requested co-location in a public school building pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e). By letter dated February 21, 2017, 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 any facilities in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e). As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE to comply with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) and pay rental assistance, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year and continuing thereafter, in an amount attributable to the formation of the school.
Here, the record indicates that in its February 21, 2017 response to petitioner’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 petitioner a co-location site in a public school building, it was nevertheless required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1) to offer petitioner space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner. Instead, DOE indicated in its February 21, 2017 response only that it would not be extending an offer of space. As it did not offer petitioner space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner, DOE 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 rental assistance based on student enrollment in all grades for which petitioner 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[1] (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 equal to the lesser of: (A) the actual rental cost of an alternative privately owned site selected by the charter school or (B) twenty percent of the product of the charter school’s basic tuition for the current school year and (i) for a new charter school that first commences instruction on or after July first, [2014], the charter school’s current year enrollment ...” (Education Law §2853[3][e][5]).
The record in this case indicates that the school will first commence instruction in the 2017–2018 school year serving kindergarten and first grade. It will expand one grade level each year until the 2021-2022 school year, when it will serve students in kindergarten through grade five. Accordingly, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), DOE must pay petitioner in each year of the charter term and any subsequent renewal term, provided that the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, the lesser of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site selected by petitioner or 20 percent of the product of petitioner’s basic tuition for the then-current school year (i.e., the 2017-2018 school year) and petitioner’s enrollment for the then-current school year (i.e., the 2017-2018 school 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 and any subsequent renewal term, provided that the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein;[2] 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).