City won’t pay charter school for repairs charged as rent: suit

Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School is suing for $360K

From left: 250 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn and Erin Mote, co-founder of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School
From left: 250 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn and Erin Mote, co-founder of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School

The Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School is suing the city over claims it should pay $360,000 in improvement costs that were charged to the school as rent.

If the city is unable to provide a charter school with space at a public school building, it is required by state law to pay for rent at a private location.

The city will pay the charter school’s yearly rent of $325,000 for the ground floor at 250 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

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St. James Roman Catholic Church owns the five-story, over 51,000-square-foot St. James Condominium, which houses the school, the New York Post reported.

The charter school fixed the floors, installed a PA system and new guardrails, and did asbestos remediation, according to court documents. It cost $360,000 for the repairs, which the church charged to the school as rent, the Post reported.

The $325,000 yearly rent is below market rate, according to court documents. [NYP]Dusica Sue Malesevic