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Star Ledger - SOUTH BRUNSWICK — "What would be the first charter school devoted to Mandarin Chinese instruction won’t open this fall in South Brunswick, and there’s only a 50 percent chance classes can start in another location, a school co-founder said. The school is now looking at four temporary locations, in Princeton and West Windsor, where zoning variances are not required, said Parker Block, of the Princeton International Academy Charter School..."
'Charter school dedicated to Mandarin Chinese won't open this fall in South Brunswick'
Published: Friday, June 03, 2011, 6:15 PM Updated: Friday, June 03, 2011, 6:16 PM
By Star-Ledger Staff
[12 Perrine Rd. in South Brunswick, the site where the charter school was supposed to be created.]
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — What would be the first charter school devoted to Mandarin Chinese instruction won’t open this fall in South Brunswick, and there’s only a 50 percent chance classes can start in another location, a school co-founder said.
The school is now looking at four temporary locations, in Princeton and West Windsor, where zoning variances are not required, said Parker Block, of the Princeton International Academy Charter School. The South Brunswick zoning board did not act on a requested variance Thursday night, meaning the school cannot meet a state deadline to begin operation there this fall.
The charter school has been opposed by residents in three suburban districts, who say it will siphon money from home districts at a time when school budgets are already being slashed.
These sentiments were vigorously expressed Thursday night, at the second in a series of South Brunswick zoning board hearings, where residents also raised safety and space concerns.
The school would draw 170 kindergarten through second-grade students from the South Brunswick, Princeton Regional and West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional school districts, with 90 percent of the supporting funds being allocated by the home districts.
The 11.79-acre site at 12 Perrine Road, which would be owned by developer 12 P & Associates, is ideal for long-term use, said Block, but because of zoning approval delays he doesn’t expect it to be used next year.
The next South Brunswick zoning board meeting is scheduled for July 7, which is after a June 30 deadline for charter schools to submit final paperwork to obtain final charters from the state Department of Education. Schools can apply for an extension to July 15, but Princeton International has not yet done so, said Block.
By Stefanie Dazio/The Star-Ledger
