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Posted on Posted on: | Updated: · by Michael Lesczinski
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Institute Newsletter: April 22, 2026

Charter Educator Spotlight

NYC Big Apple Award

  • Congratulations to Fatimah Barrie, a 5th grade history teacher and lesson planner at Uncommon Canarsie Charter School NYC for being recognized with one of NYC’s 10 Golden Apple Awards this year. If you missed it, Chalkbeat conducted a feature interview with Ms. Barrie last week that explored her career, philosophy, how she brings joy to the classroom, and the incredible impact she is having in the classroom and on the lives of her students.

Institute Updates

Fiscal Performance Summaries

  • In the coming weeks, the Institute will share Fiscal Performance Summaries with board chairs and leaders of schools demonstrating potential signs of fiscal stress.
  • These summaries are intended to support proactive planning and ongoing dialogue between school leaders, board members, and the Institute. This work reflects our continued commitment to supporting the success and sustainability of all SUNY-authorized charter schools.
  • Fiscal Performance Summaries will be shared via email and in Epicenter no later than May 1, 2026. Please note that not all education corporations will receive a Fiscal Performance Summary. As a reminder, you may view your education corporation’s current Fiscal Dashboard at any time on the SUNY Compass System.

Yass Prize

  • The application period for the 2026 Yass Prize is now open. The $1 million award is established to reward, celebrate, and expand best-in-class education organizations. Semi and quarterfinalists in recent years include SUNY-authorized Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School, Comp Sci High, Vertex Partnership Academies, and Zeta. We highly encourage all charter leaders to consider nominating their school.

Facilities Reporting Questionnaire

  • We are excited to announce that we will be launching the 2026 Facilities Questionnaire from the SUNY Compass application this year. This new module of the Compass System will result in a more streamlined and simplified process for updating facilities for both schools and our staff. The due date is April 24. The questionnaire is now live, and your Compass contact has been notified. If you have questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Applications Open for Master Teacher Program

    • Applications are now open for the Master Teacher Program and Master Counselors, which recognizes more than 1,600 outstanding public school teachers and counselors statewide who serve as mentors for students and early-career teachers and counselors.
    • New York State’s teachers may apply at suny.edu/masterteacher and the deadline to apply is May 21, 2026.
    • Program participants receive a $15,000 annual stipend for four years, engage in peer mentoring and content‑focused professional development, support pre‑service and early‑career educators, and lead or participate in required regional professional development meetings.
    • The Master Teacher Program is hosted at nine SUNY campuses, leveraging SUNY faculty expertise, educator preparation programs, and partnerships with local STEM industry and career leaders.

Sector Updates

Summer Ready: A Charter Ops & Finance Breakfast

      • Ramp, BuyQ, CSBM, and PS Wrx are bringing together NYC and Newark charter school finance and operations leaders for a morning of practical strategies across operations, finance, and facilities, plus real conversations with peers who understand the work.
      • The event will be held on May 6, 8:30 am – 10:30 am at Ramp, 28 West 23rd Street, NY 10010.
      • Register

NYSED Updates

Talent Pool Submissions Open

        • The New York State Education Department is requesting recommendations from teachers and/or principals in elementary through high school (K-12) for consideration of membership on advisory boards, task forces, and special recognition programs.
        • Your recommendations will identify educators who will be of great value to your community and New York State and who may also ultimately receive prestigious recognition for their contributions and achievements.
        • The nominee must be a principal or currently teaching at the K-12 level in a New York State public, private, parochial, or charter school, or Department of Defense, and be appropriately credentialed in New York State. Please find the fillable recommendation form for submission.
        • The deadline for submission is April 27, 2026. Completed submissions and any questions may be emailed to [email protected].

NYS Department of Health: Lead in School Drinking Water Program

        • On March 18, 2026, the New York State Department of Health’s School Environmental Health Program hosted the Lead in School Drinking Water program for an informational webinar on program updates and detailed overview for the 2026-2028 compliance period.
        • Updates for the 2026-2028 compliance period include:
          • Charter schools must now follow the regulations outlined in Subpart 67-4
          • Schools must conduct initial first-draw sampling by October 31, 2028 (previously December 21)
          • Schools must report results electronically to the Department of Health through the SMART survey on the Health Commerce System (previously HERDS)
        • The slide deck from the webinar, which includes information on how to access the 2026-2028 Lead in School Drinking Water SMART survey in the Health Commerce System (HCS), is available on the NYS Department of Health website.
        • More information and templates for the Lead in School Drinking Water program can be found at this website, health.ny.gov/leadschoolwater.  If you have any other questions, please email them to: [email protected].