11th anniversary book 114 FINAL online - Flipbook - Page 34
2009
Charter School Approval - Evergreen’s Official Birthday
Over the winter holidays, Sarah and Gil worked diligently with advocates to support our charter application
and to raise awareness that we were the only school recommended by the Office of Public School Choice that
had been kept off the agenda because of ulterior motives. The January meeting of the Board of Regents was
scheduled for January 12th and January 13th. Gil and Sarah drove to Albany to be present for the meetings.
The agenda on Monday included a review of cultural education, higher education as well as elementary,
middle and high school education. Testing and other issues were reviewed. Tuesday’s agenda included
approval for Evergreen to become chartered as an elementary school.
Our official charter document was sent several days later approving us to operate as an elementary
school. We were given a five-year charter to serve 300 students from kindergarten to fifth grade.
Survival of Evergreen Charter School at Risk
In early 2009, representatives from La Raza informed Gil and Sarah that they could no longer provide funding
for a charter school facility. As a result of the national fiscal crisis at that time, financial underwriters for
La Raza required charter schools to submit three years of financials as a requisite for funding. Evergreen,
as a new institution, did not even have one day of financial records. It had just been approved in January of
2009 and needed to begin operating in September of 2009. Even though Círculo had nearly thirty years of
financials, it was not able to apply on Evergreen’s behalf due to restrictions in its loan documents.
The survival of Evergreen Charter School was at risk because without a site we could not start the school in
September 2009 as per the school’s charter. Evergreen needed a home and needed one quickly.
Different options were considered. We could use temporary space but soon the school would grow, requiring
additional classrooms each year. Círculo’s Center provided an alternative, but it had been planned for the
agency. Círculo was going to move its Hempstead operations on Franklin Street to the Center and was planning
to open an early childhood learning center.
Círculo Center Construction
Framing for the building neared completion in early January of 2009. Following the installation of the steel,
the building could start to become enclosed. Círculo had hoped to open the building in the Fall. Loan payments
were due and everyone had high expectations that Círculo would be able to meet time projections established
in its business plan. Project delays, however, suggested an opening for January of 2010, a whole year later.
31