Archive: Around Town

The State University of New York Board of Trustees Committee on Charter Schools voted unanimously to resubmit the New Roots Charter School application for incorporation as a public school today. According to Maureen Murphy, Director of Charter Accountability for the Charter Schools Institute, the school's charter will take effect in 30 days.

Board Chair Jason Hamilton acknowledged that these are challenging economic times and that state budget cuts will impact all schools in New York State. However, this is the time to make an investment in our educational infrastructure to prepare our children for a changing economy, he said.
 
"Putting our young people ahead of the curve in responding to the economic, social, and environmental problems of our times is what New Roots Charter School is all about," Hamilton said.
 
"We are honored that The State University of New York Board of Trustees has recognized that Ithaca, New York is an ideal place to create a model school for sustainability education at the secondary level," Hamilton said.  "It's an investment in the future consistent with those that our new president advocating for the nation."
 
New Roots Charter School is intended to be a resource for public schools across New York State. All aspects of the curriculum will address issues of sustainability and how to best prepare students for the transition to a "green" economy. New Roots will draw on research-based best practices that are demonstrated to foster academic achievement and engagement for all students, including and especially those at risk of not reaching their potential in other settings.

The New Roots Charter School is scheduled to open in September with up to 125 ninth- and tenth-graders. Enrollment forms are being accepted through April 1.
 
Information sessions for parents and teens are scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20 and Monday, Jan. 26.

The New York Charter Schools Act provides three routes to apply for a charter: the Board of Regents, local boards of education (in New York City the Chancellor of the school district), and the State University Board of Trustees. Only the Board of Regents and the State University Board of Trustees can approve applications state-wide; local boards of education (and in New York City, the Chancellor) are limited to approving applications for charter schools within their districts' boundaries.
 
The SUNY trustees and the Board of Regents each has its own application process, requiring slightly different material to be submitted for the applications and also having slightly different standards.
 
State law requires charters approved by the State University Board of Trustees to be submitted to the state Board of Regents. The Board of Regents has the option to return the charter with recommendations. The SUNY Board of Trustees then must acknowledge the recommendations and decide whether to resubmit the charter to the Board of Regents. The SUNY board has the option to modify the charter at this time or leave it in its current form. Once the SUNY board resubmits the charter, the Board of Regents has a legal obligation to issue the charter within 30 days or the charter is issued automatically at the end of that time period.
 
Timeline:

• Sept. 17, 2008: The SUNY Board of Trustees approves New Roots charter
• Dec. 16, 2008: The Board of Regents returns the charter with five comments
• Jan. 16, 2009: The SUNY Board of Trustees approved the charter without modification and authorized it to be resubmitted to the state Board of Regents

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