Regents signal toughness on charter schools and send Success Academy renewals back to SUNY

Members of the Board of Regents are striking a firm tone when it comes to charter school oversight — but they have yet to make any dramatic moves that would close a school or deny its expansion request without warning.

That was the takeaway from an hour-and-a-half long discussion the state’s policymaking body had on Monday. Charter school business that could have been routine — including renewals, mergers, and revisions — dissolved into a wide-ranging discussion about how to ensure the schools are enrolling enough high-needs students and what hurdles a charter school should clear to remain open.

Despite the lengthy discussion, the Regents ultimately did not pull the plug on any of the recommendations made by the State Education Department. But several Regents, in some cases, either voted against the proposals or abstained.

The board also sent 10 proposed Success Academy renewals back to SUNY for review, saying the authorizer jumped the gun and gave preliminary approval for the renewals years too soon. State education officials say this is a break from precedent; SUNY officials disagree with that assessment. The move was largely symbolic since SUNY still has final say over the renewals.

Chancellor Betty Rosa said the Success proposals had been discussed at length before the meeting. “We have taken a great deal of time and effort to have extensive discussions around this issue,” she said. But at the meeting, the Regents did not dwell on Success Academy. They did, however, discuss some of the other charters at length.

One school that garnered much attention was Cultural Arts Academy Charter School at Spring Creek, a Brooklyn charter authorized by the city’s Department of Education, which was up for a short, three-year renewal and a one-year expansion of 45 students for technical reasons.

The school has decent test scores, but enrolls relatively few economically disadvantaged students. Only 32 percent of the school’s students were low-income in the 2015-16 school year in a district where 79 percent are poor.

Several Regents expressed concern about the school’s enrollment and one even suggested these types of practices contribute to school segregation.

“It seems to me that there is something out of sync,” said Regent Lester Young. “How do you have a framework that allows this to happen?”

Regent Judith Johnson made a similar point. “I’m concerned that what we are doing here is continuing to support the segregation of schools,” she said. “I sometimes get emotional about this because I don’t understand why we continue to support programs like this that violate the principles that we stand for in public education.”

Summit Academy, another New York City charter school, was singled out for its relatively poor academic performance. Only about 26 percent of students pass the English exam at the school, while 49 percent do in its district. That school received approval for a two-year renewal.