Appeal of IMAGINE ME LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding school utilization.

Decision No. 17,651

(June 12, 2019)

Bryant Rabbino LLP, attorneys for petitioner, Joshua D. Bloodworth, Esq., of counsel

Zachary W. Carter, Corporation Counsel, attorney for respondent, Christopher Ferreira, Esq., of counsel

ELIA., Commissioner.--Petitioner, Imagine Me Leadership Charter School (“the school”), challenges the New York City Department of Education’s (“DOE” or “respondent”) failure to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at DOE’s expense and at no cost to petitioner, as required by Education Law §2853(3)(e).  The appeal must be sustained.

Petitioner is authorized by respondent’s Chancellor (“Chancellor”) to serve students in kindergarten through grade 8.[1]  Petitioner’s initial charter was issued in January 2010, authorizing it to serve students in kindergarten through grade 5.  Petitioner currently serves students in kindergarten through grade 5.  According to the record, the school first opened for instruction in the 2010-2011 school year, serving students in kindergarten and grade 1, and added one grade in each succeeding school year.  Accordingly, petitioner expanded to serve students in grade 5 in the 2014-2015 school year.  In April 2019, its charter was renewed for a term up through and including June 30, 2024, and was revised to authorize it to expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8.  Petitioner will serve students in grade 6 in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 in the 2021-2022 school year.

On December 3, 2018, a written request for co-location was submitted for petitioner’s grades 5 through 8, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e), using DOE’s online “Portal.”[2]  By letter dated April 15, 2019, DOE acknowledged petitioner’s request for “space ... beginning in the 2019-2020 school year,” but stated that it would “not be extending an offer of space at this time.”  This appeal ensued.

Petitioner asserts that, in the 2019-2020 school year, it will require space in which to serve its students in grades 5 through 8.  Petitioner also asserts that DOE failed to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at no cost to petitioner, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e).  As relief, it seeks an order directing DOE to pay rental assistance in accordance with Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).

Respondent admits that it failed to offer petitioner a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at no cost to petitioner, and that petitioner is eligible for a finding in its favor, but requests that the appeal be dismissed in its entirety.

Preliminarily, I note that this appeal was commenced pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e), which was added by Part BB of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2014.  Education Law §2853(3)(e)(3) provides that a charter school in the City School District of the City of New York shall have the option of appealing the “city school district’s offer or failure to offer a co-location site through ... an expedited appeal to the commissioner” pursuant to Education Law §310 and the procedures prescribed in Education Law §2853(3)(a-5).  Pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(3), in any such appeal, the standard of review shall be the standard prescribed in Civil Practice Law and Rules (“CPLR”) §7803.

In an appeal to the Commissioner, a petitioner has the burden of demonstrating a clear legal right to the relief requested and the burden of establishing the facts upon which petitioner seeks relief (8 NYCRR §275.10; Appeal of P.C. and K.C., 57 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 17,337; Appeal of Aversa, 48 id. 523, Decision No. 15,936; Appeal of Hansen, 48 id. 354, Decision No. 15,884).

Petitioner asserts that DOE failed to offer it a co-location site in a public school building or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility, at no cost to petitioner, in violation of Education Law §2853(3)(e).  Education Law §2853(3)(e) provides that, in the City School District of the City of New York, charter schools that require additional space due to an expansion of grade level approved by their charter entity for the 2014-2015 school year or thereafter, and request co-location in a public school building, shall be provided access to facilities.  The statute also requires that, within the later of five months after a charter school’s written request for co-location and 30 days after the charter school’s charter is approved by the charter entity, the city school district shall offer the charter school either a co-location site in a public school building approved by the board of education as provided by law at no cost to the charter school, or space in a privately-owned or other publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to the charter school (Education Law §2853[3][e][1]).

Here, DOE admits that it responded to petitioner’s co-location request and that it did not offer space to petitioner.  However, in response to petitioner’s request, DOE was required by Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1) to offer petitioner space in a privately-owned or publicly-owned facility at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner.  As DOE has not offered any facilities at the expense of the city school district and at no cost to petitioner, it failed to comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(1).

The standard of review in an appeal pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e) is the standard prescribed in CPLR §7803, which lists questions that may be raised in a proceeding brought pursuant to Article 78.  The question set forth in CPLR §7803(1) is whether the body or officer failed to perform a duty enjoined upon it by law.  The question set forth in CPLR §7803(3) is whether a determination was made in violation of lawful procedure, was affected by an error of law, or was arbitrary and capricious or an abuse of discretion, including abuse of discretion as to the measure or mode of penalty or discipline imposed.  Although Education Law §2853(3)(e)(3) does not specify which specific provision of CPLR §7803 applies, I find that, under either subdivision (1) or (3), petitioner has carried its burden of establishing the facts and law upon which it seeks relief.

The record indicates that petitioner expanded to serve students in grade 5 in the 2014-2015 school year.  The record further indicates that, in April 2019, petitioner was authorized by its charter entity to further expand to serve students in grades 6 through 8.  Petitioner will expand to serve students in grade 6 in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 in the 2021-2022 school year.

Therefore, on the record before me, I find that petitioner has established that it requires additional space due to an expansion of grade level that was approved by its charter entity for the 2014-2015 school year or thereafter.  Petitioner has, thus, met all the statutory criteria and is entitled either to a co-location or to an offer of private or other publicly-owned space (see Education Law §2853[3][e]; Appeal of New York City Montessori Charter School, 54 Ed Dept Rep, Decision No. 16,747).

Accordingly, having failed to make such an offer, DOE must, pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5), pay petitioner for its grade 5 through 8, commencing with the 2019-2020 school year,[3] and in each remaining year of the school’s current charter term and any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, rental assistance in an amount attributable to the grade level expansion that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).[4]

Therefore, DOE must pay petitioner for the school’s grades 5 and 6 commencing in the 2019-2020 school year, grade 7 commencing in the 2020-2021 school year, and grade 8 commencing in the 2021-2022 school year, and in each remaining year of the school’s current charter term and any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, an amount attributable to its expansion to grades 5 through 8 that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).

In this instance, there is no evidence in the record that petitioner has been afforded the opportunity to select an alternative privately-owned site for the requested grades 5 through 8, and respondent must afford petitioner an opportunity to do so.  Petitioner must present DOE with evidence of the actual rental cost of an alternative privately-owned site so that DOE can determine whether such rental cost is less than the amount computed pursuant to Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5)(B).

Nothing herein should be construed to prevent DOE from offering petitioner co-location space in the future.

THE APPEAL IS SUSTAINED.

IT IS ORDERED that respondent comply with the requirements of Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5) in accordance with this decision and pay petitioner, commencing with the 2019-2020 school year, for its grades 5 through 8 for each remaining year of the current charter term and for any subsequent renewal term, provided that, in any such renewal term, the charter school serves the grades encompassed by the charter referenced herein, an amount attributable to the grade-level expansion that is calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in Education Law §2853(3)(e)(5).

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