Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today kicked-off the first day of classes at the new KIPP S.T.A.R. College Prep Charter School, situated in the former offices of Community School District 5 at 433 West 123rd Street in Harlem.  KIPP S.T.A.R., the second joint initiative of the Department of Education (DOE) and the nationally recognized Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), will use newly converted classroom space and facilities reclaimed from the former offices of District 5 as part of DOE’s system-wide reorganization.  KIPP S.T.A.R. is the 19th charter school to open in New York City and the second KIPP academy; the first opened in the South Bronx in 1995 and has been recognized for excellence in educational performance.

“Last March, my Administration pledged that we would create 5,000 new seats through the conversion of administrative offices into classrooms,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “With the opening of the KIPP S.T.A.R. College Prep Charter School, I am pleased to announce that we have already created 4,500 of those new seats.  We’re proud of that fact but we’re not resting on our laurels.  Just as the KIPP kids will be working hard this summer to achieve great things so will my office and the Chancellor’s office as we continue to prepare for the new school year.  We said we would put children first when it comes to education – and by creating a new school where offices once stood we are doing just that.  We applaud KIPP for their academic achievements and for their continuing commitment to New York City’s schoolchildren.” 

“In just two weeks we have taken district office space that used to house bureaucracy and transformed it into a charter school in a community that needs innovative and excellent new schools,” said Chancellor Joel I. Klein. “We continue to work with charter schools throughout the City to share best practices for teaching and learning across all types of schools.  KIPP has set the standard nationwide for successful charter schools in high need urban areas, and I am delighted to join the Mayor and KIPP Principal Maggie Runyan-Shefa in launching the KIPP S.T.A.R. College Prep Charter School here in Harlem.”

The conversion of the former offices of District 5 to provide school facilities for KIPP S.T.A.R. is the result of the citywide reorganization of the school system that is a key initiative of the Mayor and Chancellor’s Children First reform agenda. As a result of the reorganization and the streamlining of district and administrative offices into regional Learning Support Centers, DOE will reclaim 5,000 new classroom seats for schools by September 2003, and an additional 3,000 classroom seats by June 2004.

KIPP S.T.A.R. opened today for its first day of classes with an enrollment of 90 5th graders.  Over the next four years, KIPP S.T.A.R. will add grades 6 - 8 resulting in a total enrollment of 360 students.  KIPP S.T.A.R. Principal Maggie Runyon-Shefa is a graduate of the KIPP School Leadership Program, a rigorous, year-long program that trains and prepares educators for leadership positions in exemplary public schools.  Prior to her fellowship, Ms. Runyan-Shefa was a middle school teacher and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Reisenbach Charter School in Harlem, New York City.  Under her stewardship, KIPP S.T.A.R. will implement a challenging and proven college preparatory curriculum, using best teaching practices, designed to produce high academic achievement. The school will follow the educational model established by the KIPP Academy in the South Bronx. The academic calendar includes an extended year with a mandatory summer session of three weeks of instruction during July.  From September through June the school day will begin at 7:30 am and end at 5:00 pm with an extended school week that includes classes on Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. S.T.A.R. stands for “Success through Teamwork, Achievement and Responsibility.”

“By providing space in a Department of Education Building for the State University authorized KIPP S.T.A.R. Charter School, the Chancellor has made clear once again not only his commitment to charter schools, but to sustaining and growing great public schools in whatever form they take,” said Ed Cox, Co-Chair, Charter Schools Committee, Board of Trustees of the State University of New York. “It is the Mayor’s vision of ‘Children First’ that is in evidence in the Chancellor’s actions, and it represents another step towards fulfilling their goal of fostering a system in which effective learning is a reality for every child and teacher.”

“We are grateful for this new school facility and the full support that Mayor Bloomberg, Chancellor Klein and the entire New York City Department of Education has given KIPP in order to expand and show what kids can do with high expectations in a caring, highly structured and nurturing environment," said Dave Levin, Co-founder and Superintendent of KIPP.

“The Harlem Children’s Zone has worked in schools in District 5 for more than 15 years, and until the initiation of the Children First reform agenda, this district has failed our children,” said Geoffrey Canada, President & CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone. “I have long dreamed of parents in this district being able to get the best possible education for their children. With the opening of KIPP S.T.A.R. College Prep Charter School, I see that dream being partially realized. I see this as the beginning of what is going to be a great leap forward for children who live and go to school in Harlem”

The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York approved KIPP S.T.A.R.'s charter application on March 25, 2003.  KIPP S.T.A.R. is one of seven charter schools to be housed in public school facilities.  DOE is committed to supporting charter schools as part of the New York City public school system and has provided start-up grants to new charter schools consistent with the grants provided to all new schools. DOE will support the opening of five additional charter schools in September 2003.

KIPP was founded in 1994 by former Teach for America Fellows, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin.  KIPP is dedicated to providing historically underserved students with the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top-quality high schools, colleges, and the competitive world outside of school.  The first KIPP academies in Houston, Texas and the South Bronx have each been recognized at the state level for excellence in educational standards.  There are currently fifteen KIPP schools in the US and seventeen more will open this summer.

The Harlem Children’s Zone is a Harlem-based community organization dedicated to creating significant, positive opportunities and outcomes for children by working with parents, residents and teachers to create a safe learning environment.  The Harlem Children’s Zone assisted KIPP S.T.A.R. with student recruitment, and will continue to work with the school in various capacities including Saturday programming.