THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY

12234

Ken Slentz, Deputy Commissioner
Office of P-12 Education
Room 2M EB (518) 474-3862





May 21, 2014

Sharon Contreras
Superintendent of Schools
Syracuse City School District
725 Harrison Street
Syracuse, NY13210

Dear Superintendent Contreras:

On February 27, 2014, Assistant Commissioner Ira Schwartz notified Syracuse
City School District (SCSD) regarding the options available for Fowler High School,
Hughes Elementary School, and Delaware Elementary School. All of these schools
have failed to make academic progress over the last three years, as required of schools
identified as either persistently lowest achieving (now known as Priority Schools) and/or
Schools Under Registration Review. The district was required to submit a plan for each
of the three identified schools by May 5, 2014. Under separate cover, Assistant
Commissioner Ira Schwartz will communicate with SCSD regarding the results from a
review of the phase-out/phase-in plans for Fowler High School and Hughes Elementary
School.

In your letter accompanying the May 5 phase-out/phase-in plans for Fowler High
School and Hughes Elementary School, you state that a plan for Delaware Elementary
School (Delaware) was not submitted as required because the district needs further
technical assistance in exploring a contract with an Education Partner Organization
(EPO) or the conversion of the school to a charter school. You further indicated that the
district was not able to consider the closure or phase-out of the school due to the lack
of seat availability at those schools adjacent to Delawares attendance area. Assistant
Commissioner Ira Schwartz and Charter School Office Director Bill Clarke have been in
communication with the district over the last month to provide SCSD with information
related to contracting with an EPO or converting the school into a charter school.

The Commissioner will allow the district additional time to explore these options
and has directed staff to continue to provide the requested technical assistance.
However, since Delaware Elementary School has been recognized by both the New
York State Education Department (NYSED or the Department) and the district as a
poor learning environment, new students will not be allowed to enroll at Delaware for
the 2014-15 school year until a comprehensive intervention plan is in place.



2

Next Steps

The Commissioner is directing that the district, effective July 1, 2014, cease
enrolling new students in Delaware Elementary School. The district must inform the
Syracuse Board of Education, school staff, and parents that Delaware Elementary
School will begin phasing out, effective September 2014. Delaware Elementary School
may not accept incoming pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or transfer students for the
2014-15 school year.

The Commissioner is committed to ensuring that SCSD provides the best
educational options possible for students at Delaware Elementary School. To that end,
he has directed me to inform you that SCSD must provide a comprehensive, approvable
plan for the 2015-16 school year for Delaware (and the school that shall phase in or
replace the school, through either contract with an EPO or charter conversion). This
plan must provide sufficient evidence of preparation and resource allocation to support
both the phase-out and any replacement school. In order to ensure that the district
carries out this directive, the Commissioner further directs the following:

1. SCSD must provide NYSED with an enhanced School Comprehensive Education
Plan (SCEP) for the 2014-15 school year that outlines the additional resources
and interventions that the district will put in place at Delaware Elementary School
to support the remaining students. The district may not simply continue with the
plan of support already in place, as that support has not had the desired impact
on student achievement. The plan must include the strategies that will be used
to improve student performance through mandatory professional development
time for teachers, expanded learning time for students, and dedicated time to
engage with parents regarding the new plan for the school. The enhanced
SCEP for the 2014-15 school year is due to NYSED by July 31, 2014.

2. SCSD must identify a district staff person or hire an outside individual by
June 30, 2014 whose sole responsibilities are to ensure that the school plan
created for the 2015-16 school year provides evidence of thoughtful preparation
and resource allocation and ensures that decisions pertaining to curriculum,
staffing, professional development, and resource allocation are made according
to a logical timeline that supports successful implementation of the plan
beginning September 2015. This individual will work closely with any
Distinguished Educator that the Commissioner may appoint to the school and
must provide NYSED with regular written updates on the progress of planning.

3. SCSD and the identified individual must participate in monthly meetings with
NYSED regarding the development of the plan and the progress made in the
areas of operations, staffing, curriculum, and school programming. The first
meeting must be held during the first week of July 2014. SCSD also must
provide written reports that demonstrate progress made in these areas at these
meetings.

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A new plan for Delaware Elementary School for the 2015-16 school year
must be submitted by September 1, 2014. At that time, the Commissioner will decide
whether to conditionally approve the plan or recommend that that the Board of Regents
revokes the Registration of this school, effective June 30, 2015. If the plan is approved
conditionally, the district will continue to work toward ensuring that the school is ready to
open in September 2015 and will continue to meet with NYSED to provide written
evidence of progress.

My staff will contact you within the next week to set up our first monthly check-in.
Once you have identified the individual who will serve as the lead on the Delaware
Elementary School plan, please forward their name, contact information, and resume to
Assistant Commissioner of Accountability Ira Schwartz at ischwart@mail.nysed.gov.

We look forward to working with you to ensure that students at Delaware
Elementary receive the education they deserve - one that prepares them for college and
careers.

Sincerely,



Ken Slentz
Deputy Commissioner for P-12
Education


cc: Members of the Syracuse CSD Board of Education
John King
Ira Schwartz