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Asbury Park Press ‘Sweeney declares war on home rule’ "The press conference in the Statehouse was supposed to be about arbitration reform..Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver and Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Louis Greenwald talked about a bill they say will offer real arbitration reform by leveling the playing field between unions and municipal officials..Greenwald, Oliver and Sweeney address reporters..But then Sweeney jumped to the podium and launched into a diatribe on municipal officials, saying they didn’t want to talk about the real problem with government in New Jersey: There’s too much of it, Sweeney said..."
Star Ledger ‘N.J. Department of Education sees surge in charter school applications’
Njspotlight.com “Mastery Charter Schools Crosses the River Into Camden’ and ‘Fine Print: New SDA (School Development Authroity) Rules’
Asbury Park Press ‘Sweeney declares war on home rule’
Posted By John Schoonejongen On October 21, 2010 @ 1:49 pm In Uncategorized
The press conference in the Statehouse was supposed to be about arbitration reform.
Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver and Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Louis Greenwald talked about a bill they say will offer real arbitration reform by leveling the playing field between unions and municipal officials.
Greenwald, Oliver and Sweeney address reporters.
But then Sweeney jumped to the podium and launched into a diatribe on municipal officials, saying they didn’t want to talk about the real problem with government in New Jersey: There’s too much of it, Sweeney said.
While mayors have rightfully complained about arbitration rules that often lead to large settlements in favor of public employees, few want to address shared services and consolidation, Sweeney said.
In addition to the governor’s toolkit, Sweeney wants to take on towns and force them to find ways to share and consolidate. He wants to turn towns “upside down” to force change, he said.
Home rule, Sweeney said, is a “farce.”
The question came from a reporter in the room: Are you declaring war on home rule?
“Yes,” answered Sweeney.
Star Ledger ‘N.J. Department of Education sees surge in charter school applications’
Published: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 8:00 AM
Star-Ledger Staff
TRENTON — Two virtual schools, a Hebrew language high school and five schools proposed by New Jersey’s Black Ministers Council are among 50 charter school applications under consideration by the state Department of Education.
The Rev. Reginald Jackson, executive director of the Black Ministers Council and a longtime proponent of school choice, said his organization has applied for five charters — one in East Orange, one in Linden and three in South Jersey — that would feature longer school days and additional instruction in "character development."
This is the first time the religious group has entered the charter school industry, he said.
"This is simply an effort to give members of our community — low-income parents in particular — alternatives," Jackson said.
With Gov. Chris Christie creating a climate supportive to charter schools — pledging to overhaul state laws and make it easier to open the publicly funded, independently operated facilities — the state last week saw its largest ever crop of applications.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
• N.J. Department of Education receives record number of charter school applications
• Editorial: Charter schools deserve even playing field
• Acting N.J. education chief announces $30M in low-interest bonds for charter schools
• Gov. Christie seeks private companies to operate charter schools
Applicants are expected to get a decision in January, after a review of proposed programs and finances. The Department of Education provided names of applicants yesterday, but did not release the actual applications.
Among the proposals were some with ties to out-of-state charter school networks, like Imagine Schools, which helped local residents write applications in Jersey City, Newark, Camden, Trenton.
Imagine serves 40,000 students in 72 schools in 12 states, according to its website. "New Jersey is an area that is favorable for (education) alternatives," Samuel Howard, Imagine School’s executive vice president, said.
Christie has said he hoped to attract charter networks to New Jersey, but out-of-state companies face a roundabout process. A local group must first win approval for a charter then, if it wants to outsource the operation, must ask for bids.
Michael Pallante, a retired Newark principal who spent 13 years at the Robert Treat Academy charter school, is an applicant for the New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School. This is the second time an application has been filed for the school.
The school would offer instruction, online, for Newark students who would study from home. As part of the proposal, desktop computers would be provided to students.
"There are a group of students that don’t qualify for the magnet schools, they have to attend district schools, and some are afraid to go," Pallante said. "There’s a population out there that nobody else is reaching, and we’re going to reach."
Sharon Akman, a Middlesex County real estate agent and parent, is lead founder of the Tikun Olam Hebrew Language Charter High School, a partial-immersion Hebrew language school serving Edison, Highland Park and New Brunswick. It would start with 100 students and expand to 200, Akman said.
In addition to teaching Hebrew, she said, the school would stress community service and multi-cultural learning.
"We’re a diverse population. It seemed like a need we had in the community," Akman said.
Applicants for charter schools have to notify the districts where students would come from, and Edison Interim Superintendent Ron Bolandi said he received a binder from Tikun Olam.
Some districts have not welcomed charters; East Brunswick tried to withhold state aid from a Hebrew charter school there, for example. But Bolandi said Edison would do what is required.
He said charter schools cost township taxpayers, however, because the district must provide 90 percent of most types of state aid it receives per child, for the students who go there.
"If they take 20 kids, it would reduce state aid in Edison, but I can’t cut the amount of money in services because those 20 students don’t reduce one teacher," he said.
Njspotlight.com “Mastery Charter Schools Crosses the River Into Camden
Mastery ferries its 'No Excuses' attitude from Philadelphia to Camden, one of New Jersey's most troubled school districts
By John Mooney, October 20 in Education |1 Comment
Students enter Mastery Charter School's Lenfest Campus -- located in Philadelphia’s Center City -- through a labyrinth of motivational slogans.
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One stands out, a mantra of the Mastery network of seven charter schools in Philadelphia that has caught the attention of the White House and, maybe just as notably, Oprah Winfrey.
With a red line through the word, the sign read: “No excuses."
After 10 years helping to remake Philadelphia public schools, Mastery aims to bring that attitude -- and its successful track record -- across the Delaware River into Camden.
First Foray into NJ
Mastery last month was one of six new charter schools approved in New Jersey. In its first foray outside Philadelphia, it is also pursuing a plan to bring “multiple campuses” to what may be New Jersey’s most troubled school district, said founder Scott Gordon.
Gordon, who serves as Mastery's chief executive, said he aims to add more campuses as part of the original charter or maybe in a new application, possibly as soon as next March.
“We’re really interested and excited about being a significant presence in Camden,” Gordon said this week. “We really want to be part of a larger solution to make sure the entire district can provide a quality education.”
It’s a big step for Mastery and for Camden, which has had a mixed history with charters over the movement’s 15 years in New Jersey. The state now appears ripe for a new influx of charter schools under Gov. Chris Christie.
Camden's Charter Count
The city now has seven charter schools, serving close to 3,000 students -- a fifth of the total public enrollment. Those seven include LEAP Academy, one of the state's inaugural charter schools, and three schools in the Camden’s Promise Charter Schools network.
In addition, three of the 50 new charters submitting applications this week are headed for Camden, including one that would be a virtual, or online, school.
Mastery did not apply in the latest cycle, while it continues to find locations for the new schools. But with the state’s approval, Gordon said he hopes to be able to open two or three new schools in Camden as soon as next fall, including the already approved Excellence Charter School.
Philadelphia Test Scores
Mastery joins a coterie of charter companies that aim to gain a further foothold in the state. But it carries more of a reputation than most, with its focus on accountability and assessment that has helped lift its test scores soundly above those of other Philadelphia public schools.
President Obama singled out Mastery last summer as he promoted charter schools across the country. What's more, Mystery recently won a $5.1 million federal grant that will help it open another 12 campuses in Philadelphia and Camden. Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network in September wrote it a $1 million check as well.
Specializing in a turnaround model that takes existing public schools and revamps and restaffs them, Mastery will start with a standalone charter school in Camden but does not rule out coming into existing schools in the future.
“We haven’t had those talks yet, but we’d definitely be interested,” Gordon said.
A Model School
The Mastery model has caught the attention of Peter Denton, the founder of Excellent Education for Everyone, the advocacy group best known for promoting school vouchers in the state. But the group -- known as E3 -- has also pressed a broader agenda that includes charter schools, with Denton pointing specifically to Mastery as a model he hopes will take off in Camden.
“Scott Gordon is a business guy who decided he’d work in this space and has applied all the same business practices,” Denton said.
He specifically cited its practice of replacing staff and essentially starting over: “It’s all new adults, that’s the key in how quickly he’s done this. It’s tough, but it’s doable.”
In Center City, the Mastery Charter School was quiet on Monday – at least of school kids – as teachers and staff of all seven Mastery schools across Philadelphia took the day to review and adjust to the latest student assessments. Mastery breaks the year into six semesters, each with its own tests for students and day of review for teachers.
“It gives us more frequent updates on where we are, more frequent progress checks for the students, and more frequent progress checks for parents,” said Steven Kollar, the Center City principal, still at his desk at 5 p.m.
“Being built on business principles, we like to reflect on the data,” he said.
Gordon said he’s held productive meetings with the Camden school administration to find the best locations for his schools. He wasn’t taking for granted the state’s approval, but said all the pieces falling into place both on the state and local levels.
“Those stars don’t often all align, so it’s been a fantastic start,” Gordon said.
Njspotlight.com ‘Fine Print: New SDA Rules’
Schools Development Authority proposal would let qualified districts oversee school construction projects
By John Mooney, October 20 in Education |Post a Comment
Synopsis: The Schools Development Authority this week presented for the New Jersey Register its proposed regulations for giving qualified local districts the power to oversee school construction projects. The SDA invites public comment by December 17, 2010.
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What it means: The rulemaking is another chapter in the saga of the Abbott v. Burke school-equity rulings, this time centering on the state Supreme Court’s order for billions in school construction and renovation in New Jersey's neediest districts.
With much of that program either stalled or contested, the districts have pressed to regain the authority to oversee projects. The 2007 legislation that restarted the program included requirements for the state to delegate such powers, when a district was found to be capable of the oversight. The 15 pages of rules lay out the requirements for such delegation.
Story behind the story: The administration has been bullish on the Abbott construction projects since Gov. Chris Christie took office, now reviewing more than 50 projects that had been essentially cleared in 2008. That has only heightened districts’ concerns that the projects will never be completed and their hopes to regain some oversight. The latest rule-making has been its own source of contention, with advocates going to court to force the administration to promulgate the regulations that are now nearly two years late. That challenge remains in state appeals court.
Key provision: “These proposed rules provide that the delegable portions of a school facilities project shall be limited to one or more of the following project activities: construction, construction administration, and/or demolition.” (page 1)
Why: The head of the Education Law Center, the lead advocate for the urban schoolchildren that first brought the Abbott v. Burke lawsuit, noted the legislature explicitly said qualified districts should be able to do the design and planning work. He said he is withholding judgment until the state Department of Education puts out its own rules, but added that the limit to just construction and demolition would be likely challenged in court.
