Source: http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume58/d17642
Timestamp: 2019-06-19 13:51:37
Document Index: 619567008

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

Decision No. 17,642 | Office of Counsel
Decision No. 17,642
Appeal of GIRLS PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL OF THE BRONX II from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding school utilization.
ELIA, Commissioner.--Petitioner, Girls Preparatory Charter School of the Bronx 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 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 in part.
Petitioner is authorized by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“SUNY”) to serve students in kindergarten through grade 4. It is scheduled to commence instruction in the 2020-2021 school year. In its first year of operation, petitioner will serve students in kindergarten, and will expand one grade level in each succeeding school year until it serves students in kindergarten through grade 4.[1]
On March 20 2019, a written request for co-location was submitted for petitioner’s kindergarten through grade 4,[2] pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e), using DOE’s online “Portal.”[3] By letter dated March 25, 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 offer it reasonable, appropriate, and comparable space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at the expense of DOE, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e). As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE to pay 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 4 was submitted on March 20, 2019. In its March 25, 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 4 - 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[4] (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 2020-2021 school year, serving students in kindergarten, and will expand one grade level in each succeeding school year until it serves students in kindergarten through grade 4. Accordingly, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), DOE must pay petitioner for the requested kindergarten through grade 4[5] 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 4 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).
In this instance, although requested by petitioner, there is no evidence in the record that petitioner has been afforded the opportunity to select an alternative privately-owned site and respondent must afford petitioner an opportunity to do so. Petitioner must present DOE with evidence of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site so that DOE can determine whether such rental cost is less than the amount computed pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5)(B).
[2] In its written request, petitioner lists “PreK-8” as the grades for which it is requesting co-location space. The record herein, as well as the New York State Education Department’s records, indicate that petitioner is currently authorized by the State University of New York to serve students in kindergarten through grade 4. Although petitioner may plan to expand, beyond its initial charter term, to serve students in grades 5 through 8, petitioner will need to obtain a subsequent charter revision to serve grade levels beyond those authorized during its initial charter term. Accordingly, petitioner’s written request for co-location for grades 5 through 8 is premature (Appeal of Hellenic Classical Charter School - Staten Island, 58 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 17,625). Moreover, to the extent petitioner is claiming a right to rental assistance for its operation of a pre-kindergarten program, petitioner’s claim is unavailing. A pre-kindergarten program is a “program,” not a “grade,” and the provisions of Education Law §2853(3)(e) do not apply (Appeal of Boys Preparatory Charter School of New York, 55 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 16,788). Consequently, only petitioner’s request for space for kindergarten through grade 4 may be considered for purposes of the instant appeal.