STAPLETON — The city will close the low-performing Staten Island Community Charter School after it failed to make improvements, the Department of Education announced Friday.
The closure leaves only two charter schools in the borough.
The Staten Island Community Charter School (SICCS) at 309 St. Paul's Ave. is one of three troubled charters in the city that won't be renewed after June this year after they failed to meet benchmarks the DOE set out for them last year.
"It doesn’t matter whether students attend a charter public school or a district public school — we're committed to giving every child a path to success," Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement.
"Each of these schools were given clear conditions with benchmarks for performance, and they failed to meet them. The DOE is committed to supporting all students and their families and is communicating all school options to ensure each child gets a better education."
The principal of the SICCS, Dr. Nicole Richardson-Garcia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For the 2014-2015 school year, the SICCS was awarded a short term renewal for one-and-a-half years on the condition it would be renewed afterwards if it showed improvements, according to the DOE.
The school, which served kindergarten through 5th grade, instead saw a decline and its ELA proficiency rates dropped by 3.4 percent, 18 percentage points lower than other schools in the borough, the DOE said.
Math scores stayed mostly the same but were still 18.7 percentage points lower than the rest of the borough. The school failed to meet other conditions set by the DOE to keep its doors open.
Along with the SICCS, the Beginning with Children Charter School and the Lefferts Garden Charter School in Brooklyn will not get their charters renewed, the DOE said.
The DOE said it would work with parents to get students at the schools enrolled in others. For elementary grades, the students will get enrolled in their zoned school and the agency's Office of Student Enrollment will start an application process for middle school grades.
The SICCS opened in 2009, taking over the former Trinity Lutheran school building in Stapleton, and was one of the first charters in the borough. When it closes, Staten Island's only charter schools will be the New World Preparatory Charter School and the John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School.
