After months of protests, contentious meetings and accusations of conflicts of interest, the state Department of Education on Friday rejected charter schools that would have drawn from Millburn, approving only four of 55 applications statewide.

It was a decision with statewide implications, garnering mention in the The New York Times and other major newspapers. Millburn Patch has been following the story since the Millburn School district got word that the schools had filed their paperwork with the NJ Charter School office. The decision on Friday was welcome relief to a long and heated debate that pitted neighbor against neighbor on this hot-button education issue.

According to The New York Times, the state charter office set a high bar  “to ensure that each school we approve offers a great education for students.” The proposed Mandarin schools in Livingston and Maplewood, which would have drawn from Millburn, had not met that bar, according to Justin Barra, a spokesman for the Education Department. “We had four that really stood out,” he said.

The Mandarin immersion schools, Hua Mei and Hanyu International, drew heated debate in Livingston from residents and school leaders who said the so-called “boutique charters” would drain dwindling educational funds into unnecessary programs. Proponents countered that language immersion education would better prepare pupils for the increasing demands of a global marketplace and that it would not be as big a drain as districts claimed because the district would not have to educate those children.

Most charter schools are centered in the state’s urban areas. On Friday, for example, three of the four selected are in NJ cities: Beloved Community Charter School in Jersey City, Knowledge A to Z Charter School in Camden, and Trenton Scholars Charter School. The fourth, Regis Academy Charter School in Cherry Hill will teach curriculum known as MicroSociety. According to NJ.com, students will select a form of government and run businesses while learning English, math and science lessons.  

Schools that didn’t make the cut in this round, will have an opportunity to re-apply. Acting Education Commission Chris Cerf expects another large applicant pool.

“This is yet another reason why we need to let the voters decide when and where they want to see charter schools developed in their community," said Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27th District). Jasey, a member of the Assembly Education Committee, is the prime sponsor of legislation (A-3852) that has passed the Assembly, which would require voter approval in order for a district to be established as a charter school district or for a charter school to expand. The measure is now awaiting consideration in the Senate.

Other stories topped the local news as well: The township’s Irene subcommittee met for a second time last week, this time hearing from downtown business owners and residents in the Washington area near downtown about their flooding nightmares. Residents and business owners also heard from an engineer about what possible actions the town could take to reduce future flooding.

Last week in school news, the Board of Education and the public heard more about the student bill of rights under the state’s Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying laws and what the school district is doing to implement the even more stringent anti-bullying laws.

The school board also heard more about the district’s plan to introduce two Spanish language pilot programs for grades kindergarten through 5^th grade that students, parents and teachers will test out this year to determine which is the best program for 2012-2013.  The program will replace Spanish teachers and the old curriculum, which the district and the board felt was inefficient and not preparing students for Spanish in middle school.

The Fire Department was kept busy on Thursday night, putting out a fire on Millburn Avenue, where a woman sustained minor injuries escaping the house during the blaze.

Women all over the area "Undressed for Success" in support of Breast Cancer Awareness in South Orange on Saturday, taking their shirts off to bare their bras in support of the cause.

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