BY JASON COHEN
AECI Charter Schools
Network began in the south
Bronx two years ago, and
as its enrollment slowly increases,
so does the need for a
larger building.
The Network recently
found one in School District 9
at 116 E. 169 St. and will move
there next month.
Looking to be good neighbors,
Derick Spaulding, Network
CEO, and Dr. Charles
Gallo, AECI2 principal, spoke
to the Community Board 4
Youth Committee on June 17
about the school and received
a letter of support from the
committee for the transition
to the new space.
“If we are going to come
to a community we need
to introduce ourselves,”
Spaulding said. “We want
to be a strong partner with
CB 4.”
Currently, AECI has two
schools at 838 Brook Ave. and
423 E. 138th St., but has outgrown
its campus at the latter
location. Therefore, Spaulding
and his staff began searching
for a new home. He quickly
discovered that 32% of students
come from District 9,
and realized that the space at
169th Street would be a perfect
fit. Plus, the timing couldn’t
have been better, Spaulding
added.
At the 138th Street location,
the building is co-located
with another school and at
169th Street, the current Rosalyn
Yalow Charter School is
leaving for a larger space, allowing
AECI to finally have a
place to themselves.
“In our quest to find a permanent
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space we started looking
in District 7 and noticed
the south Bronx is hot right
now,” Spaulding said. “We
started to expand the frame
of where we will settle our
roots.”
The school currently enrolls
ninth- and 10th-graders,
but will be adding juniors in
the fall and seniors next year.
There are 375 kids total and
about 25 per class. AECI offers
an array of afterschool programs,
such as karate, robotics,
sports and student government.
Gallo hopes CB 4 sees AECI
as an asset to the community.
“It’s an incredible experience
to be back in the south
Bronx where I started 50 years
ago,” Gallo said. “We believe
keeping students engaged is
key to a successful school.”s
The home of the new AECI charter school, located at 116 E.
169th St. File photo
CB 4 Youth
Committee supports
charter school