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8-16-10 Senate Education hears 'for discussion only' comments re expanding charter school authorization process; Commissioner Schundler relays education priorities to the Committee
(GSCS joined other education associations with comments and concerns about the bill. Issues were noted about language in the proposed bill that would allow for speciality charter schools, e.g., limited to single gender or behavioral disorders - autism for one - and that the Commissioner should encourage such charter entities. During the hearing, the Committee Chair, Senator Theresa Ruiz, said that those concepts would be separated out of the bill and undertaken on their own at a later date.)
'N.J. education commissioner says more school days, class time are good for kids' The Record

State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler told lawmakers Monday that many New Jersey school children could benefit from more days in school and more time in class.

Schundler’s comments came as he spoke to the Senate Education Committee about his vision for making sure all students master essential skills, as well as a bill... [that]Schundler said he supported having multiple charter authorizers because it could spur innovation, broaden families’ choices and relieve the Education Department of some of its workload, but other institutions should also be able to apply for the job. Now, only the Education Department can approve charters, which are publicly financed and independently operated..."



Statehouse Bureau 'N.J. education head says multiple organizations should be able to authorize charter schools'


N.J. education commissioner says more school days, class time are good for kids
Monday, August 16, 2010
Last updated: Monday August 16, 2010, 6:01 PM
The Record
STAFF WRITER

State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler told lawmakers Monday that many New Jersey school children could benefit from more days in school and more time in class.

He told of his visit last week to Robert Treat Academy, a Newark charter school that boosted student achievement in the face of harsh odds in poor neighborhoods. Its students started school Aug. 3 and will be there 203 days — well beyond the standard 180 days of regular public schools.

“The amazing thing is the children seemed to be extremely happy,” Schundler said. “They had students there while their peers were still home. … Time in the classroom is important.”

But Stephen Wollmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, questioned how there would be money to pay for more staff work hours when the state has cut funding for education.

“We can’t afford to pay for the 180-day school year right now,” Wollmer said. “We’re laying people off. … I don’t see where the funding would come from in this environment.”

Schundler’s comments came as he spoke to the Senate Education Committee about his vision for making sure all students master essential skills, as well as a bill that would empower the Rutgers University Center for Effective School Practices to approve and monitor charter schools.

Schundler said he supported having multiple charter authorizers because it could spur innovation, broaden families’ choices and relieve the Education Department of some of its workload, but other institutions should also be able to apply for the job.

Now, only the Education Department can approve charters, which are publicly financed and independently operated.

Charter schools are often open more days than traditional schools and are not subject to union rules. Critics have long protested that charters drain public money from regular schools and have inconsistent track records, but boosters argue that high-quality charters give students in failing districts much better options.

The bill discussed Monday would also erase deadlines for applying to start charters, enable for-profit companies to try and allow charters to be online schools, single-sex schools and schools for specialized behavioral or learning disorders. New Jersey has 66 charters, with seven more to open in September. Schundler said he couldn’t endorse the bill because it is still changing.

Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, the chairperson of the Education Committee, opened the discussion on more classroom time by saying, “I’m a fan of longer school years and longer school days.”

School calendars are subject to bargaining between districts and local teachers’ unions. Schundler said he wanted to make sure there were no legal barriers to districts that want to extend the school year but did not propose any specific legislation. “We want to make sure … there is no presumption there will be only 180 days of so many hours,” he said.

At Robert Treat, the regular school day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with early care starting at 7:30 a.m. and after care plus tutoring until 5:30 p.m. In 2008-09, only 6 percent of its eighth graders flunked state standardized tests for language arts, compared to 30 percent for other students from similar low-income backgrounds.

Wollmer, of the NJEA, said nothing bars districts from negotiating for a longer school day or year, but he noted that charters have high teacher turnover due to exhausting hours. “They burn them out and let them go when they object,” he said. “A teacher’s work day, for anyone who has never tried it, is ‘on’ time all the time. It’s not easy. Eight, nine, 10 hours a day becomes a real long day.”

E-mail: brody@northjersey.com

State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler told lawmakers Monday that many New Jersey school children could benefit from more days in school and more time in class. 

He told of his visit last week to Robert Treat Academy, a Newark charter school that boosted student achievement in the face of harsh odds in poor neighborhoods. Its students started school Aug. 3 and will be there 203 days — well beyond the standard 180 days of regular public schools.

“The amazing thing is the children seemed to be extremely happy,” Schundler said. “They had students there while their peers were still home. … Time in the classroom is important.”

But Stephen Wollmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, questioned how there would be money to pay for more staff work hours when the state has cut funding for education.

“We can’t afford to pay for the 180-day school year right now,” Wollmer said. “We’re laying people off. … I don’t see where the funding would come from in this environment.”

Schundler’s comments came as he spoke to the Senate Education Committee about his vision for making sure all students master essential skills, as well as a bill that would empower the Rutgers University Center for Effective School Practices to approve and monitor charter schools.

Schundler said he supported having multiple charter authorizers because it could spur innovation, broaden families’ choices and relieve the Education Department of some of its workload, but other institutions should also be able to apply for the job.

Now, only the Education Department can approve charters, which are publicly financed and independently operated.

Charter schools are often open more days than traditional schools and are not subject to union rules. Critics have long protested that charters drain public money from regular schools and have inconsistent track records, but boosters argue that high-quality charters give students in failing districts much better options.

The bill discussed Monday would also erase deadlines for applying to start charters, enable for-profit companies to try and allow charters to be online schools, single-sex schools and schools for specialized behavioral or learning disorders. New Jersey has 66 charters, with seven more to open in September. Schundler said he couldn’t endorse the bill because it is still changing.

Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, the chairperson of the Education Committee, opened the discussion on more classroom time by saying, “I’m a fan of longer school years and longer school days.”

School calendars are subject to bargaining between districts and local teachers’ unions. Schundler said he wanted to make sure there were no legal barriers to districts that want to extend the school year but did not propose any specific legislation. “We want to make sure … there is no presumption there will be only 180 days of so many hours,” he said.

At Robert Treat, the regular school day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with early care starting at 7:30 a.m. and after care plus tutoring until 5:30 p.m. In 2008-09, only 6 percent of its eighth graders flunked state standardized tests for language arts, compared to 30 percent for other students from similar low-income backgrounds.

Wollmer, of the NJEA, said nothing bars districts from negotiating for a longer school day or year, but he noted that charters have high teacher turnover due to exhausting hours. “They burn them out and let them go when they object,” he said. “A teacher’s work day, for anyone who has never tried it, is ‘on’ time all the time. It’s not easy. Eight, nine, 10 hours a day becomes a real long day.”

E-mail: brody@northjersey.com

N.J. education head says multiple organizations should be able to authorize charter schools

Published: Monday, August 16, 2010, 12:55 PM     Updated: Monday, August 16, 2010, 1:40 PM
TRENTON — State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler said today he supports the idea of allowing more entities to authorize charter schools, a responsibility currently only held by his department.

The Senate Education Committee today took testimony from Schundler on a bill (S-2198) that would also give Rutgers University the ability to authorize the creation of charter schools and the authority to regulate them. Schundler said he generally supports the idea, but the Department of Education should have a choice of who it wants to select as an alternate authorizer.

“We do support multiple authorizers. We think the best approach, rather than simply designating a higher education institution, may be to have institutions that are interested submit a proposal,” he said.

Schundler said the legislation would not increase the amount of charter schools in New Jersey, since there currently is no longer a cap on how many are allowed. But it would help take some of the burden off the Department of Education.

“We’re believers in choice and competition,” said Schundler.

The bill would also do away with deadlines for applying to create charters, expand the scope of people who can apply, and permit the authorization of online schools and specialized schools for one gender or students with behavioral needs and disorders, including autism.

The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), said the bill would undergo substantial changes before it advances in the Legislature, and agreed that the scope of potential authorizers should be widened beyond Rutgers.

At the hearing, officials from two other universities expressed interest. Tamara Lucas, Associate Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Montclair State University; and Frank Esposito, a history and education professor at Kean University, said their schools should have a crack at being authorizers as well.

The New Jersey School Boards Association said local boards of education should have the authority as well.