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Star Ledger - NJ education group releases report on controlling costs of special education..."Special Education: A Service, Not a Place," offers 20 recommendations for improving special education efficiency and quality across the state. Officials should change federal and state laws, identify new ways to pay for programs and provide school districts with more flexibility in using special education funds, according to the report.
NJ Spotlight - Charter School Applications Remain Strong, Despite Few Approvals by State...Administration's reluctance to sign off on new charters doesn't do much to discourage nearly 40 new applicants
Star Ledger - NJ education group releases report on controlling costs of special education
By Peggy McGlone/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger
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on April 11, 2014 at 6:25 AM, updated April 11, 2014 at 4:38 PM
State officials can reduce costs and improve programs for special education by aggressively promoting early intervention programs, launching a voluntary shared services model and amending state law to protect school boards against the high costs of legal disputes, a new report from the New Jersey School Boards Association has found.
"Special Education: A Service, Not a Place," offers 20 recommendations for improving special education efficiency and quality across the state. Officials should change federal and state laws, identify new ways to pay for programs and provide school districts with more flexibility in using special education funds, according to the report.
"Our goal is to reduce special education costs to school districts without diminishing the quality of needed services," NJSBA executive director Lawrence Feinsod said in a statement accompanying the report, which was released during a panel discussion at the Crossroads South Middle School in South Brunswick Thursday night.
Feinsod said the report also seeks to repair tensions between general and special education programs.
"I am an untiring advocate for children with special needs. However, during my years as a school district superintendent and board member, I have watched special education cost increases far outpace those for general education," he said. "Not only has this trend reduced the resources available for other school programs, it has too often divided school communities into two opposing camps: special education and general education. That’s not a healthy situation for any of our students."
Montclair State University professor Gerald Vernotica led the study team, which consisted of school board members and administrators. During their year-long study, the members consulted with more than two dozen special education experts and advocates. They also conducted two surveys, a national look at alternative funding structures and a state-wide inquiry of staffing and local costs.
The recommendations include:
• A change in state law to shift the burden of proof in disputes over individual education programs, or IEPs, from the district to the party bringing the complaint. The report noted the task force’s survey of superintendents found "over 38 percent of respondents cited the ‘adjudication process’ as an area requiring legislative and regulatory change."
• An increase in flexibility for districts to use special education funds for literary and math programs in inclusive settings. The report cites the work of Nathan Levenson, who promotes a "relentless focus" on reading instruction. Levenson’s research shows classification rates drop as reading improves, according to the report.
• New funding methods for special education, including business fees, lottery and grants.
Finally, the NJSBA report seeks to change the perception of special education by integrating it more effectively.
"Public education should not be viewed as two separate systems — general education and special education — but rather as one continuum of instruction, programs, interventions, and services that respond to individual student needs," task force chairman Vernotica said. "In other words, it is part of the range of services public schools provide to children, not a separate place to put them."
NJ Spotlight - Charter School Applications Remain Strong, Despite Few Approvals by State
John Mooney | April 11, 2014
Administration's reluctance to sign off on new charters doesn't do much to discourage nearly 40 new applicants
Even as the Christie administration approves fewer new charter schools, interest in opening these facilities remains high, with nearly 40 applications coming in last week for the latest round of review.
Thirty-eight applications were received in all, although that number may be culled after preliminary reviews are conducted by the state Department of Education to determine if the proposals are complete.
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The high number of applications reflects the enduring interest in operating these schools, even as the state throttles back on approvals. In the round of applications this past March, 38 proposals yielded just three approvals.
Overall, 14 of this year's applications are repeat submissions; nearly a dozen come from the larger education management organizations that are coming to dominate New Jersey’s charter landscape.
For instance, two new schools connected with the SABIS Schools Network are proposed for Atlantic City and Bridgeton, and two connected with Renaissance Schools network are proposed for Jersey City and East Orange.
Other organizations with proposals in this round include College Achieve, Probity Education, National Collegiate, and SEED, a consortium of residential charter schools based in Washington, D.C. Also included is K12 Inc., the for-profit online education company, that is looking to add a school in Elizabeth.
As in past rounds, virtually all the applications are concentrated in the state’s urban centers, which are already home to the bulk of New Jersey's charter schools. Six of the proposals would serve Newark; four, East Orange; and three each in Paterson, Camden, and Jersey City.
The full list of applications follows, in alphabetical order of the communities served:
· Regional-Pneuma Academy Charter School for Science, Health and Technology: Asbury Park, Neptune Township
· International Academy of Atlantic City Charter School: Atlantic City, Pleasantville
· Bloomfield Academic Arts Academy Charter School: Bloomfield
· Bridgeton Public Charter School: Bridgeton
· International Academy of Greater Bridgeton Charter School: Bridgeton, Upper Deerfield Township, Fairfield Township
· Community Advancement Charter School: Camden
· National Collegiate Preparatory PCHS: Camden
· The SEED School of New Jersey: Camden
· Pearls of Wisdom Charter School: East Orange, Irvington
· Renaissance TEACH-TEchnical Arts CHarter School: East Orange, Irvington
· Science Business & Technology Charter School: East Orange, Irvington, Newark
· Equity Prep Charter School: East Orange, Orange, Irvington
· Elizabeth Prep Charter School: Elizabeth
· Universal Business Academy Charter School: Englewood, Tenafly, Bergenfield, Leonia, Englewood Cliffs, Teaneck, Fort Lee
· Empowerment Academy Charter School: Jersey City
· Jersey City Career Prep Charter School: Jersey City
· Polytech Regional Charter High School: Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, Union City
· Reach for the Stars Charter School: Kearny, Harrison, East Newark
· Lakewood Academy Charter School: Lakewood
· A. Philip Randolph Charter High School: Newark
· Academy of Fashion Industry Careers Charter High School: Newark
· The Beacon Preparatory Charter School: Newark
· Ironbound International School: Newark
· Newark Scholars Technology Academy Charter School: Newark
· Agape Trinity Charter School: North Plainfield
· Collegiate Business Academy Charter School: Orange
· New Destiny Alternative Education Charter School: Orange
· Noble Preparatory Charter School: Paterson
· Paterson Charter School for Better Learning: Paterson
· The Math and Culture Charter School: Paterson
· Centre Oak Charter School: Pemberton
· International Community Academy Charter School: Plainfield
· Cresthaven Academy Charter School: Plainfield
· College Achieve Central Charter School, North Plainfield, Plainfield
· ASPIRE Academy Charter School: Trenton
· Rising Star Preparatory Charter School: Trenton
· ScienceTech Charter School: Winslow
