Millburn Hosts Panel Discussion on Charter Schools
Princeton school officials among those talking about the cost of charter schools to school districts.
Photos
Updated, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday
School leaders from four neighboring school districts gathered in Millburn on Monday night to learn more about charter schools – a divisive issue in New Jersey that now concerns even high-performing districts like Millburn, which is faced with two Mandarin-immersion charters seeking approval.
“It’s a storm and it’s a big storm now,” said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “And it’s not a perfect storm.”
Strickland was part of a panel brought together at Millburn High School to provide school boards from Millburn, Livingston, Union and South Orange-Maplewood with information to take back to their communities.
Millburn will follow up this meeting an agenda item for discussion by board members and the public at its May 23 meeting, said Superintendent Dr. James Crisfield.
School districts have until the end of May to respond to the New Jersey Department of Education with concerns and questions about applications filed by two Mandarin charters – Hanyu International Academy Charter School and Hua Mei Charter School.
Millburn school board attorney and panelist Anthony Sciarrillo said the application process, as it is now, is set up for charter schools to succeed.
If approved, both schools would open in September 2012. Hanyu would accept students from Livingston, Millburn-Short Hills and West Orange. The Hua Mei Charter School would draw from South Orange-Maplewood, Millburn, Union, West Orange and Livingston according to the applications.
On Monday night, questions by elected school officials (neither the public nor the charter school founders were invited to speak) focused on money and concern that the charters would funnel funds away from districts already dealing with diminishing budgets.
That’s been the case in Princeton, where the Princeton Charter School has existed for the past 12 years, said Rebecca Cox, Princeton's school board president. The district will write a check for $4.5 million to cover the costs of the 340 students who attend the K-8 charter school, Cox said.
Last year, Princeton Regional Schools cut its world language program to pay the charter school bill. “There’s great irony in that and quite frankly it felt misguided,” said Princeton Superintendent Dr. Judy Wilson.
Local school leaders zeroed in on the financial impact. For each child that opts for the charter school, school districts would have to 90 percent of their per pupil cost to that school.
"When we're trying to cut where we can, this is adding costs. That is my biggest concern," said Millburn Superintendent James Crisfield after the forum.
The way it stands now, school boards will not have a say in whether charters open in their districts. That will be the decision of the NJ Department of Education. But there is movement in the legislature to give local voters a choice.
Assemblyman Patrick Deignan (D), Chairman of the Education Committee, is expected to begin hearings later this month on bills that would give municipalities the right to vote on charter schools in their towns, Strickland said.
A non-profit advocacy group, Save Our Schools NJ, supports the legislation and representatives attended the meeting wearing yellow buttons that read Save Our Schools and handed out fliers to audience members.
“We are not opposing charter schools,” Julia Sass Rubin, a spokesman for the group whose own daughter attends a charter school, told reporters after the meeting. “We’re opposing the way charter schools are authorized and held accountable. The community should have a say in what they do – the community should make decisions not have them imposed on them by the state.”
New Jersey currently has 73 charter schools, according to Dr. Katrina Bulkley, associate professor of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University, who presented some of the national research on the charter movement.
Gov. Chris Christie has pushed for more charters and they are increasingly being proposed in high-ranking districts. The charters proposed for Millburn would offer bilingual immersion, meaning up to 50 percent of instruction would be taught in Mandarin.
About 100 people attended the meeting in Millburn, a mix of board members, community residents, and advocates on both sides of the issue.
Bill Gaudelli, newly elected to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, asked if there was “any wisdom” in bringing into the current curriculum the bilingual immersion the proposed charters would offer. (Livingston offers Mandarin beginning in 7th grade).
“You can’t yield to every small group’s desires,” said Wilson, the Princeton superintendent. “This year it’s Mandarin,” Cox added. “Next year it could be Gaelic, ceramics or bagpipes. You don’t know where it would stop.”
The forum also elicited opinions on inclusion and diversity in charter schools and oversight, all with poor track records in New Jersey, Princeton’s school leaders said.
It’s a view contested by the New Jersey Charter Schools Association. After the forum, Carlos Perez, the group’s president and CEO, said that because the charter school community was not represented on the panel, the audience did not get a full or completely accurate picture of charter schools. “It did not dispel all the myths about charter schools,” he said.
Perez also said he was flabbergasted by the questioning of the motives of charter school founders – namely for patronage.
“Under New Jersey law, charter school teachers have to be certified and meet all state qualifications,” he said. “Charter schools are started by educational entrepreneurs who want to create great public schools."
In recent weeks, founders have said they want children to be able to compete in a global marketplace and that fluency in Mandarin will give children an advantage. For some, they have said, it's also a way to stay fluent and connected to their heritage.
Newly elected Livingston school board member Barry Funt observed: “In other districts, the issue of the appropriateness of charter schools has fractured the community.”
Reading from prepared remarks at the board’s meeting earlier Monday night, Funt said, “We need to lead the way and set an appropriately civil tone for this debate. Those who support charter schools are not our enemies.”
Newly elected Millburn school board member Jean Pasternak asked what role changing demographics plays in the formation of charter schools. “I’d like to know the ‘why’– the idea of bringing a charter here to begin with,” she said afterward. “...I definitely learned a lot, and there’s a lot to learn. Taxation without representation is definitely a legitimate issue being raised here.”
After the forum, Crisfield said he thought it was enlightening and a good beginning for addressing concerns that the public might have.
"People were asking a lot of questions we don't have solid answers for," he said. “…I look forward to continuing the dialogue.”
EducationForThePeople
2:13 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mr. Perez should enlighten us on the full and completely accurate picture of charter schools, instead of just making vague statements. I was at this meeting tonight and thought that it was extremely informative. These schools have no business in communities where the school district is not a failing one, and even if they are in a failing school district, the charter should be about academics and not special interest like language immersion.
Save Our Schools NJ
6:27 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The only way to give communities a voice is to pass legislation requiring that new charter schools be approved by the voters of the sending districts. Senators Buono and Turner are sponsoring such a bill. Senator Codey represents MIllburn, Livingston, Maplewood and South Orange, which would be paying for the two new Mandarin immersion charter schools. If you believe communities should make this decision rather than having it forced upon them, call Senator Codey's office (973) 731-6770 and ask him to sign on to Senate bill 2243. Sign up for saveourschoolsnj.org legislative updates and action alerts and we'll keep you posted on the progress of this legislation and what you can do to protect New Jersey's excellent public schools.
SHMill
8:07 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The answer to this is probably obvious, but I'm wondering why would the NJ Dept of Ed approve a charter school in a high-performing district? I understand this school is offering immersion at K-2 which Millburn currently doesn't offer, but what criteria does the NJ Dept of Ed look at when approving charters? I agree that this is a ridiculous oversight of the law that charter school applicants are taking advantage of. I think all charter schools should be voted on by the towns they will be serving. If it involves tax dollars being pulled out of the public schools then it should be voted on by the communities impacted.
Yenta
9:24 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sen. Codey does not represent Short Hills section of Millburn. Our representatives are Kean, Bramnick and Munoz, until the election in November.
mommakiddies
7:01 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
http://www.northjersey.com/community/93654914_Chinese_residents_are_looking_to_be_more_involved_in_town_.html
This was posted on another story about this....
mommakiddies
9:32 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
sms said: "Ma says about 10 percent of students at each Millburn school are Chinese and they need access to Chinese educational mediums." They may be Chinese, but they are living in New Jersey and are entitled only to access to decent public education - and in Millburn education is beyond decent. It is not the job of the public school to provide any student with another country's educational mediums.
I think you hit the nail in the head--this is MADDENING.
mommakiddies
7:02 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
PS. Save Our Schools---done.
sms
7:59 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I agree mommakiddies. The only way for members of this community to have a voice is to join Save our Schools and let our legislators know that we are voting. I encourage everyone to email, call or write our State representatives to close this loophole in the Charter School system.
Yenta
9:42 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ma might say that, but I need proof. How does Ma become the decider of who is Chinese? And I thought that was irrelevant, as the school is supposed to be for everyone.
Susan1
8:01 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The article referenced by momma kiddies above speaks for itself. Their mission is clearly stated and the loophole provided by the charter school funding formula all but guarantees that a minority of residents will get their way.
Nina
8:09 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Chris Christie is on a mission to privatize education in New Jersey, and the number of state sanctioned charter schools is growing. It's unlikely that this can be turned around under his watch.
Yenta
9:39 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Then let's make lemons out of lemonade and ensure that he is a one-term governor! Although, Jon Corzine and the other Dems (including Pres. Obama) are all aboard the Charter School runaway train.
Yenta
8:12 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Question: If a charter school leases commercial property on Route 10, then the lease is a net net lease. This means that the tenant pays the real estate taxes. What is the result if Millburn students attend this school? The result is that Millburn taxpayers' property taxes are being sent to pay the property taxes to another town. This is madness. How can anyone on our township committee possibly support such a result. How can this be permitted? Especially since commercial properties are taxed at a higher rate than residential. Can someone please explain this?
Save Our Schools NJ
8:12 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
If the governor vetoes the local control legislation, we will move to put it on the November 2011 ballot as a constitutional amendment. That would enable the voters to decide if they want local control over the charter school authorizing process and would not require the governor's signature.
Susan1
8:17 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
@ saveourschoolsnj: But that will be too late for us in Millburn. Once the schools are approved, we will have no chance, since they will, no doubt, be grandfathered in under current law. We will be stuck, like Princeton, paying millions a year for a select few students. We need to find a way to stop this now. Is there anything we can do other than prY that the state rejects the applications?
Susan1
8:18 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
That was "pray".
Save Our Schools NJ
8:32 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
If either of the proposed charter schools is approved by the NJ Department of Education, it would not begin operating until the fall of 2012. The local control legislation would apply to these schools.
Susan1
8:38 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
So people should sign up on the save our schools website? What else can we do?
Save Our Schools NJ
8:43 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Senator Codey represents MIllburn, Livingston, Maplewood and South Orange, which would be paying for the two new Mandarin immersion charter schools. If you believe communities should make this decision rather than having it forced upon them, call Senator Codey's office (973) 731-6770 and ask him to sign on to Senate bill 2243, which requires a community vote before a new charter school can be established.
mommakiddies
8:51 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I went into this Charter school thing with an open mind but unless there are mistakes in the numbers presented, I think the facts speak for themselves. This appears to be a very opportunistic hijacking of educational dollars by taking advantage of what was meant to be a well meaning law. I am certain that however the Charter school movement began, it's genesis was NOT to provide education in a foreign language.
This is not about the need for Mandarin in the business world of tomorrow; instead it appears to be a way for the Chinese community to educate its students in their native tongue. How this a fair use of our tax dollars is beyond me--especially since the funds drained from the general education pool are both 1) well needed and 2) disproportionate.
If there is any type of organized movement to appeal this charter school locally? We can gripe here all we want but in the end, this is going to require work.
Susan1
9:08 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I just signed up at saveourschoolsnj.org And here's yet another really infuriating piece of information:
From the Hanyu School website: "The Hanyu founders have tried to work with the local school districts for years, and was unable to convince the school districts to implement similar programs. We came to realize that we can only implement such programs independent of the school districts. A charter school is an ideal solution to this in that it provides the Chinese/English Immersion program within a public school, which makes these programs easily accessible to the general public. The Hanyu founders are willing to help the school districts (Millburn-Short Hills, Livingston and West Orange or even neighboring towns) to implement similar Chinese/English Immersion programs, should they come to us for help. "
Translation: "we tried to get our way, we were rebuffed, so we are diving thru a giant loophole and screw anyone who doesn't like it."
KLF
9:21 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Make not mistake, the Christie administration is in favor of ANY type of charter schools -- even language-immersion schools. they already have approved two Hebrew-language immersion schools in the state. so the language-immersion aspect of this does not necessarily make it a no-go.
I just called Senator Codey's office, as recommended by Save Our Schools, above, and expressed my support of Senate bill 2243. It took about 20 seconds. If you do not want your tax dollars to be diverted from the exisitng public schools, and if you do not want your tax dollars used to pay commercial property taxes in Livingston (see Yenta's comment above), then call Senator Codey's office.
Matt Stewart
9:44 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I suppose if you were raised in a communist country like China, you would expect the government to pay for everything. This is the "tyranny of the minority" capitalizing on a loophole in poorly drafted, state legislation. Charter schools that attempt to teach the standardized curriculum are one thing, highjacking public funds is another.
In a democracy, the will of the majority is important, and an important concept to respect. Sometimes you do not get your own way as an advocate for your "minority" agenda. WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT A HUMAN RIGHT HERE LIKE "ROE V. WADE, OR SCHOOL SEGREGATION, OR SUFFRAGE, OR ABOLITION. We are talking about an elective education. If Yanbin Ma and his constiituents really had respect for democracy, they would stand down and accept the willof the people in the communities they live in. Instead, they are pursuing "special interest" public funds, at the direct expense of the majority will in their community.
Shame on YU. And Shame on Chris Christie (a Republican I might add), for even contemplating funding this clealry, left wing, minority agenda...
If you want to have your children taught Mandarin and you find yourselves in the minority....pay for it yourself. Don't turn to the state (proxy for the people)for a handout...
Nina
9:55 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Matt--
FYI, this is not a left-wing agenda. This is the right wing agenda of enriching private CORPORATIONS with tax dollars.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2011/03/christies_charter_school_agend.html
Matt Stewart
10:03 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I think Charter schools that teach the standardized curriculum may fit your description, but "special interest", minority schools are truning to public coffers as a funding source for their own, niche agenda...
if that isn't a left-wing mindset...then I do not know what is...
Is the Nanny State to pay for everything we want our children to learn? Baseball, Mandarin, Sewing, Science, Hebrew, Auto Shop, etc....where does it end?
If the will of the majority is irrelevant....what is the point of living in a democracy?
When majority rule tramples on human rights/freedoms or individual liberties....then it should be addressed...but we are not talking about human rights here...we are talking about an arrogant group of citizens who want their neighbours to pay for their children to learn something...even though they know that they don't have the "votes"/will of the people on their side...
so...they pick-up their ball, and try to play the game outside the will of their local citizens...BIG BROTHER would be proud!
Nina
11:09 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Matt--
Just so we know who is intended to benefit from Charter Schools, it is CORPORATIONS.
Directly from New Jersey Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf's biography:
Commissioner Cerf served for eight years as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Edison Schools, Inc, the nation's largest private-sector manager of public schools, operating 150 schools in 19 states and providing other educational services in an additional 700 schools in both the U.S. and Great Britain.
Xavier
9:47 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I really wish that you would stop using the offensive "shame on Yu" pun. It really isn't necessary. And I also heard how Mandarin was compared to Gaelic, baseball, or whatever at the meeting, and I also think that wasn't diplomatic. Chinese culture is ancient and rich and the language is very much worthy of study; I just don't happen to support the funding formula and approval process for charters. You are also compromising your position with this crap.
KLF
11:14 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The charter school movement is a Republican movement. To state otherwise is swift-boating at its finest. But it's irrelevant at this point -- I believe that people of all political persuasions are AGAINST these Mandarin-immersion schools in high-performing school districts.
And by the way, I am very involved in the school district, and it is completely false that the founders "tried to work with the school districts for years." Show us the proof. Have you gone up to the microphone at BOE meetings? Have you written op-eds or letters to the editor of The Item? Have you provided fact sheets or sent letters or other information to parents in the district to try to convince them? Please show us what you have done.Indeed, I know that PTOs FOR YEARS have been trying to get the Chinese community more involved in the schools. It is my belief that the founders are saying that they've "tried to work with the school districts for years" because the public reaction has asked them, "why haven't you tried to work within the system"? They now see that this is a weakness in their platform, so they are saying that they did so. I am ready to be proven wrong. Please show us how you have tried to work with the districts for years.
Nina
11:16 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Could not agree more!
Yenta
12:34 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Me too! It looks like they are going to Township Committee route and not the PTO. Wonder who they are donating to to get a slot on the ballot. We should check it out.
KLF
11:34 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
And this quote from this week's upcoming Item:
Rong Pan says this leverage will come when a Chinese official sits on the Board of Education or Township Committee.
"I hope to see Yanbin Ma elected to the Board within the next year of so," he said.
So, Yanbin Ma wants to start a charter school AND wants to sit on the district BOE?? I have no issue with him running for a BOE seat, to work within the democratic system. I think an individual of Asian descent would be a great addition to the BOE. But not if you are diverting money from the district to start a charter school.
Pucci
11:41 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Xenophobia is alive and well in Millburn township.
Yenta
12:36 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I think this thread refers to Township Committee. Not sure you could get elected to Millburn BOE on a platform of support for Charter School in another town.
Susan1
12:46 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I think it would be a good idea to set up an online petition against these charter schools. It might be helpful if we could go to the founders and show them just how many people are against this. Does anyone here have any experience with doing something like this? We could also get a letter in the Item telling people the Url of the petition.
Nina
12:57 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Susan--
The founders are not interested in the wishes of the majority. A petition to anyone except our elected representatives would be wasted effort.
Susan1
1:02 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
@ Sandy: I agree it's a long shot, but perhaps the founders would back down if they realized how many people hate the idea. Also, it would be my intent to send it to politicians as well. Perhaps the Education Commissioner, Governor, State Senators,and Representatives.
M OKeef
6:40 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
www.change.org Free online petitions
Matt Stewart
12:55 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Pucci...this isn't about Xenophobia...it is about democracy....the will of the people at the local level is against funding specialty schools for "interest groups" in a time where budgets are tight...
The sponsors of Hanyu have no respect for this position....and so...are trying to back-door their neighbours...it doesn't matter that it is Chinese v. any other specialty...it is outside the regualr curriculum...and therefore...a tyranny of the minority against the greater population...
no more no less...
anonymous
1:29 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Matt - your correct; it's not about xenophobia.
(i) This charter school encourages social fragmentation rather than common experiences.
An important role of the public school has been to provide a common experiences for students from a variety of cultures and homes. With the increasing diversity in our society, it is more important than ever to have students from different backgrounds in classrooms together.
(ii) Charter schools lead to balkanization as groups create schools to reflect their special interests.
(iii) Charter schools make a priority of the private benefit determined by the parents, rather than balancing and accommodating both the individual and public good.
The charter school advocates do not seem generally interested in society -- only their particular interest.
This charter proposal has been for "niche schools" that serve a particular special population.
Charter schools end up serving special interests, rather than creating programs that develop alternatives that would be offered to most students. They divert money and attention from improving all schools to enhancing a few.
KLF
1:33 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Here is a suggestion for parents who want their children to learn a language:
http://mmla.middlebury.edu/
It's a summer program. They claim that in one month of 24-hour a day immersion, students learn more than in a year of language study. Might as well give this a try before starting a charter school. I guess my point is, have you exhausted all your other options for your children to learn Chinese? These options may include: Weekend Chinese schools, Chinese immersion at home with native-speaking parents, private language study, summer language immersion programs, and private school.
J S Beckerman
1:51 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
My kids go to Hebrew School after school at my expense. I know parents who send their kids for Japanese lessons on weekends at their expense. Please do not ask me to contribute to sending your kids to a charter school at my expense and, at the same time, financially weakening my school system.
I have no obligation to provide niche education for anyone, except my kids and that it my financial burden to bear.
Nina
4:10 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
According to this recent story in the West Orange Patch, Former Mayor, and current Township Committee member, Tom McDermott signed a petition supporting the establishment of the charter school, and this fact was included in their application. I would love to know if this is true, and if so, why he did it.
http://westorange.patch.com/articles/charter-schools-whats-next-3
Laura Griffin
4:34 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Just fyi, Sandy, that story was in Millburn-Short Hills Patch also... http://patch.com/A-hqcl More coming on that.
Nina
4:48 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Thanks so much Laura. I'm anxious to hear the facts.
Laura Griffin
6:47 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
http://patch.com/A-hs25 In case you missed this story -- McDermott says it was a misunderstanding.
Nina
7:01 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
As I posted on your most recent story, assuming that Mr. McDermott was operating under a misunderstanding, will he now withdraw his signature from the application? The voters deserve to know his position on this issue.
Susan1
7:27 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Note to self: never sign a petition without understanding the issue.
M OKeef
8:21 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Quote from above "Last year, Princeton Regional Schools cut its world language program to pay the charter school bill. “There’s great irony in that and quite frankly it felt misguided,” said Princeton Superintendent Dr. Judy Wilson." Does Dr Wilson mean her district cut the entire program - all languages, K-12 or just elementary or other variation? Isn't some minimum World language required under state guidelines? How can a school district just cut the entire World Language program?
Susan1
10:32 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I suspect she meant they had to make cuts, not eliminate the entire program.
Xavier
10:05 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I think that the district's attorney could have responded better to the question at the meeting regarding financial incentives to start charter schools. He responded that they want our jobs. I would say that they want jobs period, and probably very well paid jobs. As the board member from Princeton stated, no one can find out how much charter school administrators are paid, even though they are paid by tax dollars. Opportunists want to open charter schools for professional and financial reasons. I hate to criticize someone's writing skills publicly, but consider this writing sample by Jutta Gassner-Snyder (founder of the proposed Hua Mei Charter School) below where she responds to me in the comments. She doesn't know the difference between where/were and whether/weather. How does she belong in education? Would she be able to get into it via traditional means? But her application will probably be approved given how nuts things are now in the state.
http://millburn.patch.com/articles/opinion-charter-schools-community-needs-a-seat-at-the-table
Yenta
12:10 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Google the founders and see if some of them even are employed. They may very well need the jobs themselves (not that I don't sympathize with their entrepreneurial spirit; just don't force me to be an unwilling investor). Keep it simple. Pay your taxes. Send your kids to the public schools within the district. Believe me, it will work out very well for you, your children and your community. Have some trust in those with experience in education. Don't assume that you know better than others how to succeed in the good old US of A.
Nina
6:49 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I did Google them, and to Jessica Freeland's point, it is shocking to me that these individuals think they should run and manage a school.
sms
7:18 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What is more shocking is that the State will approve their charter application. Christie's acting head of education has stated that he is firmly against having localities have a vote on whether a charter school should be in their district. Not surprising, he was the head of a charter school corporation before Christie gave him the job.
We need to push our legislators to amend the existing statute to make it clear that a charter school has to show a demonstrated need in a community - and that need should be based upon the failing academics of the existing public school, not the lack of an enrichment program at the public school. As an objective standard, use the NJASK as a barometer for eligible districts. Only those non-performing districts with a majority of students below proficient should be awarded a charter school. In addition, since charter schools are publicly funded yet publicly unaccountable, limit their curriculum to those courses mandated in the State curriculum guidelines. There is no money in these difficult financial times to fund the educational whims of a few.
M OKeef
8:22 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What is more shocking is that there is no public accountability on charter schools NOW. No one can find out administrative salaries? The law also needs to be changed so that any approved charter has public oversite and is subject to open public records in any district - low performing and high performing!! Why shouldn't they report to the local BOE?
And we should recognize that the "funding issues" also affect the low performing districts ' budgets making it harder for them to turn around their low performing non charter schools. We need to address those students too. These educational issues need to be evaluated in a neutral, not political, light so good decisions are made and it is not just another political soundbite.
Susan1
10:34 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Frankly, the poor grammar used by a number of these "founders" on websites, articles, and comments made here causes me to question their qualifications to teach anything.
Save Our Schools NJ
8:40 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Our broader policy agenda on charter school reform includes greater financial and educational transparency and accountability and better representation of the demographics of the sending districts. Right now, charter schools all across the state under-represent the percentages of special needs, limited English proficient, and free and reduced lunch students in the sending districts. These students are more challenging and expensive to educate.
We're pursuing these additional changes in a bill that will be introduced in a few weeks in the Assembly education committee, alongside the local control bill being sponsored by Senators Buono and Turner.
If you want to help reform the broken charter school law and more generally protect New Jersey's excellent public schools, join us www.saveourschoolsnj.org
Xavier
10:19 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
In addition to calling Sen. Codey, I would call the offices of Governor Christie and Commissioner Cerf at the Dept. of Ed. I think that we should all call from Millburn ASAP. We need to fight this harder than they did in Princeton, where it may be too late for them.
Nina
10:28 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I posted this comment on the story about Tom McDermott but I think it has relevance here. Isn't it possible (although I don't personally know the motives of the Mandarin-Immersion school "founders"), that this will end up being a franchise concept for Chinese education in America. If that is the case, aren't we (the taxpayers) being asked to invest tax-dollars into a start-up, without receiving any money in return for that investment? There ARE charter-school franchises already operating, and I can see this fitting into that model.
nocharterschool
12:44 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011
Save our public schools over charters. withdraw or sign against Hanyu/Hua Mei.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nocharterschool/
A_Chinese_Parent
9:14 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011
I am a Chinese parent who has kids attending the Millburn&ShortHills schools. I am against the Hanyu & HuaMei Charter schools. I also know many other Chinese parents are against the charter schools. They are simply not vocally expressive on the issue because writing in a public forum in English is not in their nature. However, when I signed the petition with the above link, I noticed that there are many Chinese petitioners on the list. The charter school founder Yanbin Ma does not represent Millburn Short Hills Chinese parents even though he holds the title of President of a Chinese association in Millburn.
Nina
11:04 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011
Thank you for posting A_Chinese_Parent. Good to know.
KLF
1:06 am on Sunday, May 15, 2011
Thank you A Chinese Parent!! Please get your friends to join you and show the community that this is not a Chinese versus everyone else issue -- rather, it is an issue of how best the community wants its money to be spent.
Michele
1:51 pm on Sunday, May 15, 2011
does anyone know why there are two proposed Mandarin immersion schools? wouldn't it make sense for the founders of both schools to work together since they are trying to serve the same geographical areas? is it coincidental that 2 schools aiming to do the same thing are up for proposal at the same time? was this a calculated move or coincidental?