Volume 11, Issue 27, December 15, 2006

Charter Leader News

LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS WITHOUT TAKING ACTION ON CAP

The State Legislature convened a Special Session in Albany yesterday to debate several issues at the request of the Governor. Among the issues considered was lifting the cap on public charter schools. Unfortunately, the Legislature adjourned without lifting the cap.

Numerous items were debated for passage, including civil confinement, capital spending, pensions, and a pay increase for legislators.

Governor Pataki hoped that the prospect of a pay increase would compel the Legislature--and in particular the Assembly, which opposes many of his initiatives--to come to agreement on these issues. In the end, the scope of the package the Governor advanced was too ambitious for the Assembly to accept. They declined to act on any of his proposals, despite the opportunity to raise their pay.

While opposition to lifting the cap on charter schools remains an issue--and the New York State United Teachers union worked overtime to oppose it--it appeared that a cap lift would have been acceptable to the Assembly in exchange for a pay raise.

Because the Governor's agenda was so broad, they declined to accept it.

In the course of the debate, the Assembly suggested several changes to the Charter School Law, including: adjusting the funding formula; limiting the percent of local students that can enroll in charter schools; requiring parents of traditional public schools to approve the co-location of a charter school in their building; transition aid for districts with charter schools; "card check" provisions for union organizing; mandating that non-teaching school staff be unionized; and prohibiting for-profit companies from managing charter schools.

There remains a glimmer of hope that the Legislature will re-convene before the end of December. IF that were to happen, the cap lift would be on the table again.

If not, Governor-elect Spitzer indicated again yesterday that he supports a cap lift and will pursue it in his administration. As such, should the New Year come without a lifting of the cap, this issue is certain to be among his early initiatives in 2007.

We will keep you informed of any future developments.

The Charter Center is grateful for all the calls and letters from school leaders urging lawmakers to lift the cap. We continue to believe that raising the cap is key to achieving funding equity and favorable regulatory policies for public charter schools. We will keep you informed of any future developments.

RESPONSE TO CHARTER CENTER SURVEY - THANK YOU!

The New York City Center for Charter School Excellence Board of Directors and staff wish to thank school leaders for participating in the recent confidential charter school survey.

In preparation for reviewing our Strategic Business Plan, our independent consultants, Anthony Knerr & Associates, are analyzing the survey responses and other extensive material, as well as interviewing key stakeholders. The Charter Center was conceived and launched to support new and current public charter schools in their accountability for academic and operational excellence. This survey, interviews and the business planning process will assist us in identifying new strategies and actions in 2007.

We know how busy you are and we appreciate the time you took to convey your comments and ideas on the survey.

Thank you.

OPERATIONS NEWS:

Transportation Alert from NYC Department of Education:

The following information is from NYC Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm.

Transportation forms must be collected no later than December 22, 2006. Any child who is not registered by December 22 will not receive yellow bus transportation beginning January 29, 2007. Click here for a list of students on your ridership (www.opt-osfns.org/opt/schools/ridership/). Questions should be directed to geregistration@schools.nyc.gov or call 718-482-3700.

Applying for E-Rate Funds:

Schools must apply for E-Rate Funds by the first week of February (the actual deadline has not been set). The official Web site for E-Rate is: http://www.universalservice.org/. Schools may obtain additional information and help completing the application at: http://www.e-ratecentral.com/.

You must complete both Form 470 and 471 (Click for forms -- http://www.e-ratecentral.com/). Completion of Form 471 must occur 30 days prior to completion of Form 470, so it is advised that you start this process immediately.

General Charter School Compliance Reminders:

Project SAVE should have been approved and submitted to SED - Contact John Soja at 518-486-6090 with questions
All manuals and handbooks should have been approved by your Board and distributed to stakeholders as necessary
SEDCAR forms should have been completed and submitted to SED and DOE
Staff should have been fingerprinted AND cleared through TEACH. Schools must get fingerprinting clearance through TEACH - it is not enough to just be fingerprinted
Applied for your 501(c)(3)

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

Update! Emerging Leader Fellowship Application Deadline is Jan. 2, 2007:

The application deadline for the Emerging Leader Fellowship program is January 2, 2007. This program is designed to train excellent teachers and transform them into excellent secondary leaders in their own schools. Recognizing the gaps between current leadership programs and school needs, the Charter Center has created a practicum-based Fellowship that trains high-performing teachers while they are still in the classroom.

Information packets on the program were sent to each charter school last week. If you did not receive a packet, you can access information on the program and download an application from our Web site on the “For School Leaders” page at http://www.nycchartercenter.org/.

If you have any questions please contact Glenn Liebeck at gliebeck@nycchartercenter.org

MISSION:

The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the supply of high-quality public 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 success and sustainability of all NYC charter schools for each young person.