The New York French American Charter School has a lot going for it: a principal who specializes in bilingual education, carefully-recruited teachers who represent French cultures, 75 parents who trekked through the snow to a Saturday interest meeting, a devoted board of trustees, and a unique curriculum.
But space? Not quite. The school plans to open its doors to teach kindergarten, first, and second grades this fall, and expand after that. But months after being approved, the school—promoted as a charter school for Harlem—still hasn’t found a home.
“We have three or four very strong [location] options, one almost a done deal, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable commenting on where,” Erika Dilday, Journalism ’93 and the board member heading the facilities search, said. She said she expects to “know something concrete” in four to six weeks.
In November, NYFACS, which promises to be a free and bilingual school with extended hours, that blends European and American teaching methods, received the New York City Department of Education recognition as a charter school, a school that is publicly funded but privately run and typically conducts admissions by lottery.
NYFACS’ founders say their idea in starting the school was to cater to the Senegalese and other French-speaking populations in Harlem, and provide a linguistic backbone that strengthens heritage. “It’s not so much French as it’s francophone,” Principal Katrine Watkins, who previously founded the French-American School of New York, said. “You need to know where you came from, who you are, to be a well-rounded human being.”
In about one month from now, charter school placement will begin with a lottery. NYFACS hopes to offer 150 spots this fall, with applications due by April 1.
The school’s organizers say that those looming dates put it in a tough position, as it tries to raise funds and find a space, while simultaneously convincing parents that the school is a viable option for the 2010-11 academic year. And that’s before the politics of being a charter school come into play.
But without a space, securing funds can be a challenge.
“It absolutely is a chicken-and-egg situation,” board chair Johnny Celestin said, adding that one of many fundraising discussions could soon “close that gap.” Celestin said no one knows yet how much money NYFACS will receive from the DOE, since the department is working on the per-pupil allocation, which could range from $10,000 to $13,000.
Celestin acknowledged that there is, of course, a risk of not opening. “We’re looking at every possibility, even temporary locations, not-ideal locations, or nonpermanent sites,” he said. “We’ll figure this out.”
Since its recognition, the school has raised between $15,000 and $20,000, but administrators say it needs $100,000 to start.
“We need money, money, money,” Watkins said, since the DOE doesn’t fund charter facilities. “We have to function as best we can without money from outside. It’s pretty hard.”
Though no location is certain, Dilday said that by lottery time, “parents should know where we’re going.” The current options are between 96th and 125th streets, with most location possibilities on the west side.
None of the current options include sharing space with public schools, which has become a popular but polarizing option for some charter schools.
New York City Department of Education spokesperson Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld, said that the space deadline is “sort of up in the air.” Though the DOE is helping the board find a location, if NYFACS can’t find space in the next three to four months, he added, “they’d have to seriously consider delaying opening.”
Zarin-Rosenfeld said that despite the space question, the DOE is advising the school to hold the lottery as they normally would. Though the lack of space can be off-putting to some, Zarin-Rosenfeld said, “When you look at how massive the list for charter schools is, you can be confident that it won’t have a detrimental effect.”
One parent at Saturday’s interest meeting, who declined to give her name since she is active at her son’s school, and does not wish for others to know she is looking elsewhere, expressed just that.
“It’s a lottery, it’s a crapshoot. I’m going to do what everyone else is going to do, put in 50 applications to 50 schools, and pick one where your kid is accepted,” she said. “The system is broken. And you may never get your younger one in.”
Dilday noted that NYFACS is aiming for space in District 5, which encompasses most of west and central Harlem, but isn’t ruling out District 4, which contains East Harlem, and District 3, the Upper West Side.
But the undefined borders of the space race left some parents anxious. “This was always sold as a Harlem community school and to support the Senegalese population,” parent Marltza Lumpris, an international traveler who appreciates the bilingual approach, said. “If it’s on 96th Street, we’re out.”
Prospective parent Alma Rodenas, who is moving to 138th Street, was concerned about the location as well. “On 96th Street, that’s the Upper West Side, where a lot of people are affluent. If they change the district, they change the mission of the school, and will be putting it in a place that doesn’t need charter schools,” she said. “As working parents, it seems like the mission may be being skewed.”
But board member and curriculum org anizer Sochenda Samreth noted that below 110th Street it’s harder to find space, and said that the school is not looking south of 100th Street. “We’re not faking being a school within the community and then moving,” she said.
In addition to the space question, NYFACS is grappling with the baggage associated with charter schools. Critics say that charter schools consume public school resources, but administrators say the curriculum of the French school could not fit into the structured public school system.
“When we mention a charter school, people are wary,” Dilday said. “I don’t necessarily believe that the whole movement into Harlem of lots of charter schools has been handled with the appropriate delicacy. That said, I think there have been some amazing educational opportunities that have come out of it as well. It’s a balance.”
Sarah Darville contributed reporting to this article.
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