Volume II, Issue 26, December 8, 2006

Charter Leader News

DECEMBER 13 SPECIAL SESSION RAISES HOPE OF CAP LIFT

SCHOOL LEADERS URGED TO CONTACT LEGISLATORS

With the Governor's call for a Special Session of the Legislature requiring both houses to convene in Albany on December 13, there is a possibility that legislation could be enacted to raise the existing cap on public charter schools.

The New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is asking charter school leaders to once again call or fax a letter to their local State Senator and State Assembly Member -- by next Tuesday, December 12 -- and urge them to vote to lift the cap on public charter schools when the Legislature convenes on December 13.

School leaders can obtain contact information on their local legislators and download a sample advocacy letter through our Web site: www.nycchartercenter.org/breaking_news.html

Our key proposals for the Special Session are:

Cap Increase: Raise the cap in state law from 100 to 300 charter schools, with limits of 150 for the SUNY Trustees and 150 for school districts and the Board of Regents. This includes allowing 50 to be approved by the NYC Schools Chancellor in the same manner as SUNY-approved charter schools (i.e., Regents comment, not veto).

Funding Equity for Building Aid: Enable charter schools to have access to state building aid for at least half the allowable costs for building projects or lease purposes. Charter schools would also be able to access financing and construction management services from the Dormitory Authority.

Strengthening Governance: Allow a Board of Trustees to govern more than one charter school.

Please contact your local legislator and add your voice to the call for more public charter schools and a brighter future for our city's children.

Thank you.

CENTER ANNOUNCES NEW CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

The Charter Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Dirk Tillotson as Chief Operations Officer, effective January 1, 2007.

Dirk brings extensive experience and a track record of success working with multiple public charter schools in Oakland, California and the Rand Corporation in Qatar. All of these schools have performed well academically. In fact, the American Indian Charter School was rated the top middle school in Oakland and was awarded the Blue Ribbon No Child Left Behind Award in 2006. Dirk was also a key staff leader in a school collaborative initiative, Oakland Charters Together, which supported start-up and operations of multiple charter schools from 2001 to 2003. He is currently a sole practitioner Educational Consultant, working with school developers, school leaders, governance boards and school districts.

Dirk is a graduate of SUNY Albany where he received his degree in Political Science and also has a Law Degree and Masters Degree in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California at Berkeley.

We welcome Dirk with great enthusiasm and high expectations.

MISSION:

The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the supply of high-quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence in all NYC charter schools, impacting the effectiveness of public education. As an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of academic and operational succcess and sustainability of all NYC charter schools for each young person.