Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Monday, April 30, 2001

Release #129-01

 
Contact: Sunny Mindel/Matthew Higgins
(212) 788-2958



MAYOR GIULIANI AWARDS $3.42 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS
TO BUILD, RENOVATE OR EXPAND FACILITIES
AND PURCHASE NEW EQUIPMENT

Only City Capital Grant Program in the Nation to Help Charter Schools Flourish
and Compete With Public Schools

Announcement Coincides With Kickoff of National Charter School Week

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced the award of $3.42 million in capital grants to help charter schools develop educational facilities. Under state law, charter schools do not receive public funding for capital projects.

The Charter School Improvement Fund, created by the Mayor last October, awarded a total of 14 charter schools grants of up to $250,000 each. The funds are to be used toward meeting a variety of needs, ranging from purchasing or leasing school buildings to constructing or renovating facilities - including libraries, science labs and computer rooms. The Charter School Improvement Fund also encourages excellence by awarding additional funds to those schools that surpass performance goals and withholding a portion of the grant for schools that fail to meet their goals.

The Mayor made the announcement at the Community Partnership School in Brooklyn, which received a $250,000 grant. He was joined by Deputy Mayor for Planning, Education and Cultural Affairs Anthony P. Coles; Board of Education President Ninfa Segarra; Board of Education member Dr. Irene Impellizzeri; Community Partnership School president, Ellen Rice; and Councilmember Eva Moskowitz, a strong advocate of charter schools. The Mayor was also joined by the executive members of the Charter School Improvement Fund: Jerry Cammarata, Board of Education member and Commissioner of the Department of Youth and Community Development; Adam Barsky, Director of the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget; and Kenneth Holden, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction.

"Charter schools are at the cutting edge of a nationwide movement to elevate the quality of education in America - an effort that deserves our full encouragement and support," the Mayor said. "Charter schools should not be placed at a disadvantage due to a shortfall of capital funds. Rather, we should see to it that charter schools have the resources they need to flourish and succeed, while also rewarding those schools that exceed performance goals. These grants will help ensure that students in charter schools are not denied access to the same facilities and equipment available to students in public schools, and also help the charter school movement fulfill its promise."

The New York State Charter Law does not provide for funding for the purchase and upgrading of facilities. New York City charter schools received on average $6,630 per pupil in state aid for school year 2000-2001 - 67 percent of the average $9,820 per-pupil allocation at the Board of Education. In addition, the Board of Education spends on average approximately $1.2 million in capital funds per school each year.

Deputy Mayor Coles said, "The lack of capital funding is an Achilles heel to the charter movement. New York City charter schools receive no capital funding and significantly smaller per pupil expenditures. These grants will help offset that imbalance in funding and give charter schools the tools they need to succeed."

Community Partnership Charter School President Ellen Rice said, "We are thrilled to be a recipient of a Charter School Improvement Fund grant. We will use this money to further the work started by the parents, teachers and the Beginning with Children Foundation in creating this unique, child-centered school. We would like to thank Mayor Giuliani for his vision in providing funds for public charter schools, thereby allowing for a variety of innovative educational programs to be implemented, and for the financial support that will permit us to advance our literacy, science, technology and creative arts programs."

All 16 charter schools operating in New York City at the time of the grant application deadline applied for awards and 14 charter schools received an award. As a condition to the award, schools were required to show sufficient ability to raise 10 percent in private matching funds. This Fund also incorporates a special performance-based award system to encourage charter schools' financial independence and academic excellence. When a school is given a grant for a project, 10% of the total award will be withheld. One to two years later, when school-wide student achievement has been assessed using standardized math and reading tests -- or, in the case of schools with children in the earliest grades, who rarely take citywide or statewide standardized tests, using other criteria such as student attendance, student turnover, and teacher attendance -- the following assessment system will be applied:

The Fund's application requires all schools to demonstrate their ability to raise private sector funds at least equal to the initial 10% performance-based withholding.

More than half a million children are enrolled in charter schools nationwide. During National Charter School Week, which runs from April 30 to May 4, 2001, charter schools across the country will host open-houses and welcome the public to witness firsthand how charters schools offer a special and rigorous public education.

www.nyc.gov

Go to Press Releases | Giuliani Archives | Mayor's Office | NYC.gov Home Page
Contact Us | FAQs | Privacy Statement | Site Map