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"Improving Public Education through Parental Choice, New Options, and Competition" released today at Governor's press conference in Hoboken at Elysian Charter Schools...click More below to read the many details - changes are forthcoming...
Improving Public Education through Parental Choice, New Options, and Competition
Governor Christie recognizes that for too long failure in many of our schools has been accepted as the norm, particularly in many of New Jersey’s urban districts. To end the shameful practice of regularly assigning students to persistently failing schools, parents must be given greater choice over the schools their children attend. This requires greatly increasing school options and empowering parents. Governor Christie’s Reform Agenda will increase educational opportunities, expand parental choice, and increase competition so all students have the opportunity to succeed.
The need for improved school choice could not be more urgent. Today, 104,000 students are trapped in 205 chronically failing schools in New Jersey. Forty percent of our African American and 32 percent of our Hispanic students could not meet basic standards on a national test. To change these unacceptable results, Governor Christie’s Reform Agenda calls for the following:
· Providing Rapid Relief for Children in Failing Schools. The Governor will sign the Opportunity Scholarship Act that is currently moving through the Legislature. As written, the Opportunity Scholarship Act will help between 2,500 and 3,800 children leave their chronically failing public schools in the first year; up to 7,600 in the second year, and as many as 19,000 when the program is at full capacity.
Ø Introduced in March 2010 with bi-partisan sponsorship, the Opportunity Scholarship Act will establish a five-year pilot corporate tax credit scholarship program to fund scholarships for low-income students trapped in the state’s lowest performing public schools. The scholarships will enable students to attend out-of-district public schools, or non-public schools anywhere in the state, that choose to participate in the program.
Ø While providing thousands of children with a better chance at life, the Opportunity Scholarship Act will also strengthen public schools. Whenever a student receives a scholarship to leave a failing public school, state aid will be placed in a fund. The school can submit a grant application for that money. In that way, both the student, and the school, will benefit.
Ø At least 75 percent of the scholarships will be awarded to current public school students who may choose to attend a better public or private school.
· Allowing Children to Attend the Best Public Schools. Full implementation of the Interdistrict School Choice program that Governor Christie signed into law earlier this month will enable hundreds of families to send their children to high quality public schools in nearby neighborhoods.
Ø The new law makes the Interdistrict School Choice program permanent.
Ø Schools decide whether they want to participate in the program.
Ø Preference for enrollment may be given to siblings of students who are enrolled in a designated school to keep families together.
· Overhauling New Jersey’s Charter School Laws to Encourage the Growth and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools. Governor Christie’s Reform Agenda provides for sweeping, necessary changes to the charter school laws in New Jersey to promote the growth of high-quality charter schools in the Garden State. The Governor proposes reforms to remove barriers to effective operator expansion, encourage best practices among charters, increase flexibility and innovation, while reducing “red tape” by easing state mandates and reporting requirements for charter schools.
Ø Encouraging Growth and Quality by Allowing Multiple Charter School Authorizers
§ NJDOE would approve new charter school authorizers while continuing to operate as an authorizer;
§ Expanding the pool of potential authorizers to all public entities;
§ Requiring that authorizer selection be based on a demonstrated commitment and capacity to grow high-quality schools; and
§ Additionally, local boards of education will be given the ability to authorize new charter schools in their districts.
Ø Promoting Charter Best Practices and Removing Barriers to the Growth of High-Quality Charters by:
§ Requiring clearer, more thorough performance contracts;
§ Clearly defining the role of a charter authorizer;
§ Designating high-quality charter management organizations as preferred providers to streamline partnerships, expansion and replication; and
§ Helping charter schools gain access to underused district facilities.
Ø Encouraging Charter School Growth and Innovation.
§ Remove hurdles for private and parochial schools to convert to charter status by allowing currently enrolled students to stay in their schools;
§ Empower parents to lead the conversion of a traditional public school to a charter;
§ Assist the growth of suburban charter schools by allowing them to enroll any students who live within 20- mile of the school, regardless of their school district.
Innovation-Spurring Changes Should Include:
§ Allowing single-sex charter schools;
§ Allowing charters with a special education focus; and,
§ Allow for cyber/virtual charter schools.
Ø Encouraging Charter School Growth by Establishing a Rolling Application Period.
· Making New Jersey the Destination for High-Performing Charter School Operators and a National Leader on Using Charter Schools to Improve Urban Education. The Governor’s Reform Agenda makes charter schooling a key tool for revitalizing urban public education and giving students better options.
Ø Recruiting the nation’s best charter operators to start schools in New Jersey’s most disadvantaged areas
Ø Helping New Jersey’s high-performing charters replicate their models so more students can be served
Ø Using charter schools strategically to replace persistently failing schools and provide the diverse educational options that families deserve.
