SUNY Trustees Renew Six Charter Schools, Approve Two Mergers, and Approve One Revision

February 25, 2016

New York – Upon recommendation of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, the SUNY Board of Trustees’ Charter Schools Committee (“Committee”), acting on behalf of the full SUNY Board of Trustees, today approved 6 resolutions to approve the applications for charter renewal of 6 SUNY authorized charter schools: 4 in or around New York City – in Brooklyn and Manhattan; and 2 in upstate New York – in Albany.

Additionally, the Committee approved 2 mergers and 1 charter revision.

SUNY charter schools currently serve over 56,000 New York students and their families. Ninety percent of SUNY authorized charter schools outperformed their district of location on the 2015 New York State mathematics assessment and 73% outperformed their district on the ELA assessment.

Brief summaries of each decision follow. Full Committee resolutions and reports can be found here: http://www.suny.edu/about/leadership/board-of-trustees/meetings/meetingNotices.cfm.

Renewals

  • Albany Community Charter School (Albany) opened in 2006. It is located in private space at 65 Krank Street, Albany, NY (Kindergarten through 5th grade) and at 42 S. Dove Street, Albany, NY (6th through 8th grade) within the Albany City School District. Albany Community Charter School received a full-term renewal of five years.
  • Broome Street Academy Charter School (Manhattan) opened in 2011. It is located in private space at 121 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY in New York City Community School District (“CSD”) 2.  The school serves students in 9th through 12th grade. Broome Street Academy Charter School received a full-term renewal of five years.
  • Green Tech High Charter School (Albany) opened in 2008. It is located in private space at 321 Northern Blvd, Albany, NY within the Albany City School District. The school serves students in 9th through 12th grade. Green Tech High Charter School received a full-term renewal of five years.
  • Harlem Prep Charter School (Manhattan) opened in 2011 and is located in private space at 240 East 123rd Street, New York, NY (Kindergarten through 5th grade) and in public space at 232 East 103rd Street, New York, NY (6th through 8th grade), both in CSD 4. Harlem Prep Charter School received a full-term renewal of five years and approval to grow to serve students in Kindergartenthrough 12th grade.
  • Leadership Preparatory Bedford Stuyvesant Charter School (Brooklyn) opened in 2006 and is located in public space at 141 Macon Street, Brooklyn, NY (Kindergarten through 8th grade) and at 832 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (9th through 12th grade), both in CSD 13. Leadership Preparatory Bedford Stuyvesant Charter School received a full-term renewal of five years.
  • Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem (Manhattan) opened in 1999 and is located in private space at 125 West 115th Street, New York, NY in CSD 3. The school currently serves students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem received a full-term renewal of five years.

Mergers

  • Canarsie Ascend Charter School (Brooklyn), a New York not-for-profit charter school education corporation authorized by the State University of New York Board of Trustees, received approval to merge with one SUNY authorized charter school, Central Brooklyn Ascend Charter School, and three New York City Schools Chancellor authorized charter schools; Brooklyn Ascend Charter School, Brownsville Ascend Charter School, and Bushwick Ascend Charter School. The existing Canarsie Ascend not-for-profit education corporation, which will be renamed “Ascend Charter Schools,” will be the sole remaining education corporation.
  • Manhattan Charter School II (Manhattan), a New York not-for-profit charter school education corporation authorized by the State University of New York Board of Trustees, received approval to merge with Manhattan Charter School, a not-for-profit charter school education corporation authorized by the New York City Schools Chancellor. The existing Manhattan Charter School II not-for-profit education corporation, which will be renamed “Manhattan Charter Schools,” will be the sole remaining education corporation.

Revision

  • Central Queens Academy Charter School (Queens) was granted a revision of its charter to permit the school to expand to serve Kindergarten through 8th grade. The school currently serves students in 5th through 8th grade.

 

SUNY is the largest charter school authorizer in New York State and the largest university-based  charter school authorizer in the country. The SUNY Charter Schools Institute was created by the SUNY Board of Trustees to assist it in carrying out its responsibilities under the New York Charter Schools Act (the “Act”). Guided by the rigorous standards set by the SUNY Board of Trustees, the Institute’s oversight of SUNY authorized charter schools is comprehensive, including: evaluating initial applications for the opening of charter schools; ongoing oversight and evaluation of operating schools; conducting a comprehensive evaluation when a school applies to renew its charter; and reporting to the school and the public on each school’s performance and progress. Charter schools in New York trade greater autonomy for greater accountability for academic outcomes. Each charter school has a charter contract that is signed by its board of trustees and the authorizer of the school. As part of the contract, the accountability plan for eachschool establishes the academic goals that must be met and how those goals will be measured.  Contracts last a maximum of five years as set by the Act. In order to continue operating, a charter school must apply to renew its charter at the end of each charter term. Receiving approval to continue operating is the core of accountability required by the Act.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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