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 28, 2014



Dr. Pamela Brown
Superintendent
Buffalo Public Schools
712 City Hall
Buffalo, NY 14202

Dear Dr. Brown:

On April 30, 2014, Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) submitted a revised plan to
close Martin Luther King Multicultural Institute (grades kindergarten through eight) as of
June 2014, and replace it with the Martin Luther King Medical Campus School (grades
five through twelve). Additionally, the district provided additional information related to
issues raised in my April 15, 2014 letter regarding the original plan.

The Closure of MLK Jr. Multicultural Institute

According to the submitted plan, BPS (with the approval of the Buffalo Board of
Education) chose to close Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Institute because the
school has significantly failed to make substantial academic gains with the assistance
of funding received under the School Improvement grant and PLA process, and
Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness reviews resulted in school ratings
of developing or ineffective in nearly every category.

Based upon the evidence of chronic academic failure, the New York State
Education Department (NYSED or the Department) agrees with BPSs decision to
close Martin Luther King, Jr. Multicultural Institute. Therefore, NYSED staff reviewed
the closure plan to determine whether it provided evidence of the comprehensive
planning and resource allocation necessary to support the transition of MLK, Jr.
students to the identified receiving schools (#53, #59 and #37), and to support the
increased needs of the receiving schools. Unfortunately, Department staff determined
that the plan submitted by BPS does not provide the necessary evidence of
comprehensive planning and support for the receiving schools. Two of the three
receiving schools are Priority Schools, and without careful planning and extensive
support from the district, the schools could be negatively impacted by the influx of
students from MLK, Jr.

However, as the Commissioner agrees with BPSs determination that the
unacceptable academic results at the school necessitate the schools closure, the
Commissioner conditionally approves the BPS plan to close MLK, Jr., if BPS submits
the following by June 18, 2014:

A comprehensive description (inclusive of goals, action steps, responsible
individuals, and a timeline) of how the district will support the identified
receiving schools. The district states in its plan that receiving schools will be
provided the per pupil expenditure, as the money follows the student. Staffing
formulas will be adjusted to accommodate the increased enrollment. A
detailed plan of support must be developed that outlines the additional
services that the receiving schools will receive prior to September 2014 in
order to support the needs of the incoming students. This description should
be included in a revised Form D, Section 1, category Community Support,
1.9.

This issue must be addressed in the revised registration documents submitted by
BPS.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Campus High School

On April 30, BPS submitted a plan for the opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Medical Campus High School that was connected to the closure of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Multicultural Institute. Staff reviewed the plan to ensure that all of the necessary
components (leadership, staffing, programming, curriculum, etc.) are in place or will be
in place for the coming school year. Although BPS did include a timeline for completing
the necessary work around staffing, curriculum, and programming, staff determined that
the amount of work to be done prior to the start of the 2014-2015 school year was
extremely ambitious as proposed.

The Youth CareerConnect grant and the opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Medical Campus High School represents an excellent opportunity for BPS and Buffalo
students. If thoughtfully planned and executed, the proposed Medical Campus will
provide BPS students with extensive career and technology skills and experiences.

In order to recommend registration of the new school to the Board of Regents,
the Commissioner is requiring the following:

BPS separate the new school plan from the closure plan for MLK, Jr., since
the closure plan for MLK, Jr. requires modifications in order to receive
approval.
BPS modify the phase-in schedule of the school so that only grades 9 and 10
are phased-in for the 2014-2015 school year. In order to ensure that the new
school is successful, BPS and the new administration and staff must
accomplish an ambitious agenda prior to opening in September 2014. By
reducing the number of grades opening in 2014-2015, BPS can dedicate the
necessary resources to opening the school successfully.

Next Steps

In order to meet the requirements listed above, BPS must submit the following
revised registration documents to Assistant Commissioner Ira Schwartz, by June 18,
2014: Form A; District summary; and the Request to Register a New Public School
Petition. These forms can be found at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/newschool/ .

If you have any questions regarding the required revisions to both the closure
plan for MLK, Jr. and the new school plan for Martin Luther King, Jr, Medical Campus
High School, please contact Assistant Commissioner Ira Schwartz, at
ischwart@mail.nysed.gov.

I look forward to working with you to ensure that students at MLK, Jr. receive the
education they deserve - one that prepares them for college and careers.

Sincerely,




Ken Slentz
Deputy Commissioner


cc: Members of the Buffalo Board of Education
Judy Elliott
John King
Ira Schwartz