Op-Ed: Jean Pasternak on Charter Schools Stance
BOE Member Pasternak clarifies her position on Charter Schools.
Editor's note: School Board member Jean Pasternak also presented the following at Monday's Board of Education meeting.
I would like to clarify my comments from the last meeting concerning charter schools. Some – not all – of my response was quoted in the Patch, and I believe this lead to a misunderstanding.
Unequivocally, Charter schools do not serve the best interests of the students in Millburn. I am completely against taxation without representation and the current legislation does not allow for taxpayers to have a say about charters opening in their communities. This is wrong and I am committed to fighting to change this.
I am strongly for all community members having the right to express their needs and desires for our education system here in Millburn. As an elected official, I am not only compelled but honored and excited to listen to what our community has to say, preferably in a fair and systematic way, so that all members who wish to speak up and have a say, can.
We have a treasure trove of ideas in this community — we would be wasting a valuable resource by ignoring or not asking citizens what they think or want from our schools. That includes Millburn taxpayers and parents who may be involved in charter schools.
They are not enemies; they are our neighbors and deserve the courtesy to be listened to as any other. Without dialogue, there will not be the possibility of working together — within our public school system.
I am optimistic and believe that we can keep making our Millburn schools the best they can be, but only if we are willing to solve problems together in our community. Our strategic planning process will go a long way to opening up the communication channels with the community. I look forward to hearing what you ALL have to say!
J S Beckerman
1:43 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Jean...you don't get it. The principal proponents are not Millburn taxpayers or our neighbors. It is being spearheaded by residents of Maplewood and Livingston.
Your cliched political stump speech was of no value.
I am against charter schools in Millburn. Take a stand.
KLF
1:51 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Some of the founders pushing for charter schools in Millburn are from Princeton! Crazy.
mommakiddies
8:14 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I am unequivocally against charter schools. It is enraging how a special interest group can legally hijack educational dollars for pet projects.
However.....
I get what Jean is trying to say--which is, we need to take into account the voice of ALL our parents and students as we shape our educational goals.
I have heard both sides of the coin: Often it's the parent who worries about a lack of STEM program or no Mandarin. More often, however,it's the parent who is worried about their child's ability to "survive" in the grind that is MHS and is agonizing about private school options. Millburn is the only place I know of where people send their kids to private school to give them an "easier" track!
I think the problem, Jean, is that you can probably make that point without linking it to the charter school movement. The irony is that if they succeed in funneling away our dollars, the District will have even less resources with which to meet the needs of all our students.
To Jean's point, however, these poachers from other towns will only succeed in "stealing" our students/dollars if those students feel their needs are not being met!! If we want to inoculate ourselves from the potential funneling of dollars, the umbrella is going to need to widen a bit more than it is today.
Putting it another way: the next time a charter school comes to town offering a "Far Brook" experience, as an example, we may be in real trouble. That pent up demand is there for the taking.
dddowd
12:18 am on Saturday, November 19, 2011
This is risky to link Charter School movement as the way to allocate family dollars for may be "Pingry" experience for the next time. So, all charter schools should be killed in the crime of stealing family tax dollars.
dddowd
10:54 am on Saturday, November 19, 2011
"OUR" and "Family" dollars on Tax.