Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume55/d16887
Timestamp: 2019-08-24 02:58:48
Document Index: 653508195

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2853', '§2851', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§2853', '§276']

Decision No. 16,887 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 16,887
ELIA, Commissioner.--Petitioner, Growing Up Green Charter School II (“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 5 in Community School District (“CSD”) 30. Its initial charter was issued on December 15, 2015[1] for a five-year term in accordance with Education Law §§2851(2)(p) and 2853(1)(a). It is scheduled to commence instruction in the 2016-2017 school year serving kindergarten and grade 1, and will expand one grade level each year until the 2020-2021 school year, when it will serve students in kindergarten through grade 5.
By letter to DOE dated January 13, 2016, petitioner requested co-location in a public school building in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e). By letter dated January 25, 2016, DOE acknowledged petitioner’s request, but stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.” This appeal ensued.
Here, the record indicates that in its January 25, 2016 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 expense to petitioner. Instead, DOE indicated in its January 25, 2016 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 expense to petitioner, 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 grade one and will expand one grade level each year until the 2020-2021 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 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 current school year (e.g., the 2016-2017 school year in the first year) and petitioner’s enrollment for the current school year (e.g., initially the projected 2016-2017 school year enrollment 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).
[1] Petitioner incorrectly asserts that its charter was issued on December 14, 2016. However, pursuant to §276.6 of the Commissioner’s regulations, I have taken administrative notice of the records pertaining to the school on file with the State Education Department indicating that the Board of Regents issued the charter on December 15, 2015.