M E M O R A N D U M


							June 29, 2010

TO:		Members of the Board of Trustees

FROM:	Pedro A. Noguera, Charter Schools Committee
		
SUBJECT:	Federal Grants to Charter Schools

        I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution:

Resolved that the Federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) grants of the types and to the entities identified below, in the amounts specified, be, and hereby are, approved with such conditions and restrictions as the Charter Schools Institute deems necessary and appropriate:

* Our World Neighborhood Charter School (Queens), $250,000, for dissemination activities over a 24-month program period; and

* Icahn Charter School 5 (Brooklyn), $38,771, which will be in addition to the $532,651 previously awarded by Resolution No. 2010-078 on May 11, 2010, for a total CSP award of $571,422, for planning and implementation activities over a 36-month program period.


Background

	Pursuant to the grant program previously reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees on April 25, 2000 (Resolution 00-64), the Charter Schools Institute (the �Institute�) has reviewed and recommends the above awards of federal funds under the U.S. Department of Education�s Charter Schools Program.  

	The recommended dissemination grant award would underwrite a variety of costs associated with assisting a charter school to support activities that help disseminate effective best practices in the areas of school governance and leadership to other charter schools including web-based applications.  An abstract of the proposal is available in the Albany Office of the Charter Schools Institute (the �Institute�).

	The recommended planning and implementation grant award would underwrite a variety of costs associated with the planning and start-up of the identified charter school including provisions for assessment, accountability, curriculum development and professional development, as well as the purchase of computers and other instructional supplies and equipment.  In the case of Icahn Charter School 5, after the Institute prepared an approved budget, award letter and contract, it was noted that some expenses that were deemed unallowable under the request for proposal were misclassified expenses that could be properly allowable if included in a different budget line.  As a result, the Institute recalculated the grant award and recommends that the Board of Trustees approve the higher award.  Copies of all grant proposals are on file in the Albany office of the Institute. 

	Should the Board of Trustees adopt this resolution, the Institute, working with the State University of New York, will be given the authority to enter into contracts with the grantees that set forth conditions under which grant monies are to be disbursed including, where appropriate, submission of work plans and other supporting documentation.
Board Resolution	-2-	June 29, 2010

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