A group of superintendents in New Jersey drafted a petition to Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf, asking him to block the expansion of the Hatikvah Charter School.
The charter school has consistently been underenrolled. It plans to expand by drawing students and funds from their districts, impoverishing their already struggling public schools.
A decision is likely by Friday.
Will State Commissioner Chris Cerf do the right thing?
To:
Commissioner Christopher Cerf
New Jersey Department of Education
Judge Robert L. Carter Building
100 Riverview Plaza
PO Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
February 21, 2014
We, the below signed Superintendents, write to request that you deny the expansion request submitted to your office on October 15, 2013 as part of the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School Application for Charter School Renewal.
Hatikvah has proposed not only the creation of a grade 6-8 Middle School, but also an increase from the current two to a proposed three classes of 25 students per grade in grades K-5. If approved, the Middle School would add an additional 150 students, and the additional class in grades K-5 would add yet another 150 students. This would double Hatikvah’s maximum 2013-14 enrollment of 273 students, to a maximum 2018-19 enrollment of 600 students. An expansion request in their 2018 Renewal Application for an additional 75 seats in grades 6-8 is also likely, which would bring Hatikvah’s ultimate enrollment projection to 675 students.
Since opening in 2010, Hatikvah has failed to fill their seats with students from East Brunswick, the only district they are approved to serve. As demonstrated in the October 15, 2013 Enrollment Count, they currently serve 263 students from 21 districts in 6 counties. In essence, due to a lack of sufficient interest in East Brunswick to fill enrollment, Hatikvah has become a de-facto statewide charter school.
It should be noted that, as of the October 15, 2013 Enrollment Count, Hatikvah was under enrolled, and had filled only 263 out of the 273 seats their charter allows. How can an expansion be justified when Hatikvah is unable to fill seats in all grades, even with the inclusion of students from 21 districts?
In fact, Hatikvah’s enrollment shows that a mere 57% of Hatikvah’s students reside in East Brunswick. This puts 43% of the funding burden on the other 20 districts across the state, that according to current statute and regulation, received no formal notice of Hatikvah’s expansion request, and have no legal standing in the deliberations or final decision that could adversely effect their budgets.
Hatikvah’s under enrollment, despite recruitment efforts in 21 districts in 6 counties, seems to indicate that the charter has failed to tap into an unmet need, not only in East Brunswick, but the state of New Jersey.
In many of our districts the majority of funding, in some cases close to 90%, comes from local tax dollars. The diversion of these funds, by state mandate, with no input from the local taxpayers, remains an issue of contention. This diversion of funds, coupled with 2% budget caps and continued state underfunding, is particularly challenging.
Also a challenge is the fact that the State Charter School Aid Projected Enrollment Count, used for budget purposes, often varies significantly from the actual October 15 Enrollment Count, forcing districts to either set aside too much money for charter tuition payments, or not enough, but in either case restricting much needed funds from tight budgets.
Finally, we wish to call your attention to the fact that Hatikvah’s student demographics are unlike any of our districts. According to the most recent available state data, Hatikvah is serving significantly fewer minorities, fewer children in poverty, fewer Limited English Proficient children and fewer Special Education children. In fact, Hatikvah serves no LEP students and only 1% of their students are reported as Special Education.
Hatikvah’s 2012-2013 Annual Report addresses the need for more diversity in their charter by stating that their “plan is to increase our recruitment efforts in New Brunswick in order to increase student diversity and the free/reduced lunch population.” In addition, the Hatikvah 2011-12 annual report states that they do not have a lunch program, but that free/reduced lunch students are “provided with a complimentary nutritious entrée by our PTO, 3 days a week.”
We submit for your consideration that Hatikvah has demonstrated an inability to enroll a diverse student population from the diverse districts they already serve, and very well may not be meeting many of the significant needs of some of the students they have enrolled.
Charter regulations clearly state that annually “the Commissioner shall assess the student composition of a charter school and the segregative effect that the loss of the students may have on its district of residence” and that the “annual assessments of student composition of the charter school” will be factored into the renewal of a charter. We respectfully submit that the demographic disparities between our districts and Hatikvah be given significant consideration in your decision.
We are in absolute agreement that the approval of the Hatikvah expansion would be contrary to N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-16(e)(3), as it would have an overall negative impact on the students, staff, parents, educational programs and finances of our districts.
Dr. Patrick Piegari
East Brunswick Superintendent
Mr. Timothy Capone
Highland Park Superintendent
Mr. Richard Kaplan
New Brunswick Superintendent
Dr. Brian Zychowski
North Brunswick Superintendent
Dr. Richard O’Malley
Edison Superintendent
Mr. Michael Pfister
South River Superintendent
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It may not be too late to sign a petition in opposition to this expansion: https://www.change.org/petitions/commissioner-christopher-cerf-deny-hatikvah-international-academy-charter-school-s-expansion-request-and-stop-the-runaway-expansion-of-segregating-boutique-charter-schools-in-new-jersey
LikeLike
Interesting. The teachers unions seem to have failed to step forward to protect teachers from the Robber Barons of public education and the Wolves of Sesame Street. In fact, the evidence suggests the teachers unions have joined (bribed in some way probably) the billionaire tyrants.
Who steps up to defend the public schools and their teachers?
Public school district superintendents and in many cases their democratically elected school boards. Does anyone think those superintendents are writing those protest letters without approval from the school board?
The teachers unions earns a failing grade.
District Superintendents who stand up and fight back earn an A.
LikeLike
Looks like they’ve been fighting a while.
This is a court of appeals opinion where the former Christie superintendent was named. The public school officials had to same concerns when the charter was launched, and they were ignored:
Click to access Court-Ruling.pdf
It looks like everything they predicted at the launch has come to pass.
LikeLike
So, are the unions ever likely to actually defend education? Why not deunionize the public schools then?
LikeLike
Your logic is flawed.
For instance, if the popularity rating of the President and Congress falls below 50% because most Americans do not think they’re doing their jobs, then by your reasoning why not do away with democracy and turn the country over to someone like Bill Gates, the Koch brothers or the Walton family.
One of them could be appointed America’s first Caesar. Then we could all life our arms in a German salute and say, Hail Gates, for instance.
I think it’s a safe assumption to say you have never belonged to a union and are totally ignorant of them except for what you’ve been fed through the media news or ads that are nothing but propaganda.
Unions are democratic organizations and have election cycles. If the membership wants the union to change direction, they’ll elect a new leaders. Change is up to the membership just like change is up to voters each time there’s an election cycle.
To bad honesty isn’t pat of the run up to every election. When billionaires can spend hundreds of millions of dollars to pour undue influence into campaign ads that are often full of cherry-picked facts, lies and misinformation, then it is almost impossible for the voters to be honestly informed.
“A clueless electorate is a corruptable one.” Frank Bruni, NYT 5.12.13
We could also say that “A fooled electorate often feeds political corruption.”
The two big teacher unions are not one huge organization completely controlled from the top. There are union chapters in almost every district unless unions have been driven out of a state thanks to the Walton family and the Koch brothers efforts over more than thirty years.
That means there are probably more than 10,000 union chapters with an elected president in each district. Then there is a state chapter for each major union. Next comes the national.
For California, it breaks down like this (and I suspect it’s pretty much the same in every other state where teacher unions have members):
I paid dues to ARE (Association of Rowland Educators) and then they paid a portion of those dues to CTA (California Teachers Association) who paid a portion of that NEA (National Education Association).
Each district and each state have elected union presidents. At the district level, the president is usually a full time teacher still in the classroom. If the majority of teachers at the district level want to organize to protest the movement funded by the Robber Barons of public education and the Wolves of Sesame street, then they’ll vote at the local level and organize probably by meeting with local PTAs to drum up support. The same thing can happen at the state level and there are fifty states.
So far, the national level hasn’t demonstrated a wiliness to resist the so-called reformers who are no better than thieves.
But that is no valid excuse to suggest unions should be abolished. If the majority of members want change, then the ripple effect will start at the district level and surge upward through the state to the national. If the current elected leaders at any level have been bought off, eventually their term will end the same thing that happens to every member of state legislatures, Governors, the US Congress and the President.
We don’t always get the government we want to represent us but all we have to do is wait. Every election offers a chance for change.
If you were paying attention to Diane’s posts, you’d know that she’s mentioned a few locals that have stood up in defense of their teachers. I don’t have a list so you’ll have to go back through all her posts to find that info.
LikeLike
If, in fact, both the NEA and the AFT have articulated financial connections or have become dependent on ‘reform’ foundation funding, then there is an apparent conflict of interest in representing their members and supporting public education.
The hope for a vibrant unions that will support public education resides in the rank and file members wresting control of the state and national offices and moving back to fully supporting the public schools.
LikeLike
Hey guys, here’s a link to the NJEA fighting back against the imperial arrogance of Cami Anderson in Newark. NJEA blasts Newark’s Anderson, vows fight to save tenure. Excellent letter by the head of the NJEA against the horrible an illegal policies of Anderson.
http://bobbraunsledger.com/njea-blasts-newarks-anderson-vows-fight-to-save-tenure/
LikeLike
Concerning the NJEA letter blasting Cami Anderson, the Christie appointed superintendent of Newark Schools:
The letter, delivered to Anderson last night, uses extraordinarily harsh language to depict the state regime in Newark—and represents an unusual decision by the statewide union to come to the support of the Newark Teachers Union, an affiliate of the rival American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFL-CIO. The NJEA represents school nurses in Newark; teachers are represented by the NTU.
Steinhauer, in effect, warned Anderson—and, indirectly, Gov. Chris Christie—that any effort to break tenure in Newark, a state-operated district since 1995, would be opposed by all teachers throughout New Jersey. The NTU also has promised to oppose Anderson’s efforts to have seniority rights of tenured teachers set aside.
http://bobbraunsledger.com/njea-blasts-newarks-anderson-vows-fight-to-save-tenure/
LikeLike