For Immediate Release

East Brunswick Public Schools

August 12, 2010

The East Brunswick Board of Education filed a motion with the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey asking the Court to “stay” the New Jersey Commissioner of Education’s grant of the charter to the Hatikvah International Charter School.  The Board of Education also filed a motion with the Commissioner of Education asking him to “stay” his approval of Hatikvah’s charter.

Under New Jersey law, a charter school must have enrolled at least 90 percent of the school’s approved maximum enrollment.  The Hatikvah charter provides for a maximum enrollment of 108 students; therefore, in order to receive final approval of its charter, Hatikvah must have at least 97 enrolled students.  The East Brunswick School District’s records demonstrate that Hatikvah’s expected enrollment is well under the 90-percent mandate.  Thus, it is the East Brunswick Board of Education’s position that the Commissioner must stay Hatikvah’s charter for its failure to satisfy the enrollment criteria. 

Under the law, the East Brunswick Board of Education is required to provide 90 percent of an in-district charter school’s funding and provide transportation for each student attending the charter school.  The 2010-2011 budgeted amount payable by the East Brunswick School District to Hatikvah is approximately $1.22 million. Because the official enrollment numbers are well below the legally-required 90 percent, the Board of Education has decided to commence legal action in order to protect its students and the taxpayers of East Brunswick in order to ensure that they receive their funding.