Edison board opposes charter school plan

Members of the Edison Board of Education have submitted a letter to the state expressing their opposition to a proposed charter school.

The state Department of Education is expected to render a decision on the Tikun Olam Hebrew Language Charter High School on Jan. 15.

Sharon Akman of Highland Park submitted the application for the charter school, which would be located in Edison and would serve students from the township as well as Highland Park and New Brunswick. She said the reason for her proposal is because she believes the school will fill a void in an area of New Jersey where there is no charter school for high school students, and no high school that teaches Hebrew.

The school would have 100 students at first and would later expand to 200. It would offer a partial-immersion Hebrew language program.

Maeroff said he received a letter last month from the state inviting board members to submit comments on the proposal. He said he also received correspondence from Wendy Saiff, president of the Highland Park Board of Education, requesting that Edison join in voicing its concerns over the financial and social impact of the growing charter school movement in New Jersey. If the school is approved, each town’s school board will pay for students from their district who enroll at the charter school.

Maeroff said charter schools provide an alternative for students who are trapped in public school districts that provide an inferior education.

“That is certainly not the case here in Edison. We give exemplary education; therefore, families do not have to look elsewhere for an education,” he said.

Maeroff said he believes that a charter school that concentrates on the Hebrew language could prove to be disastrous in a diverse town such as Edison, because he fears it would result in proposals and approvals for other charter schools that focus on other ethnicities represented in town.

“This approach could decimate our school system and use our diversity against us,” he said.

Maeroff said his third point is that the financial viability of the school district is at stake.

“Frankly, we simply can’t afford to pay tuitions to send more students to charter schools,” he said, noting that each student’s tuition costs about $9,900.

Board members agreed with Maeroff’s comments. Board Vice President Deborah Anes said she is very concerned about the district having to pay for students who sign up for the charter school. She also agreed with Maeroff regarding the potential for additional charter schools following suit.

“My concern is not whether or not 15 charter schools will open up in 15 languages; my concern is the financial part of it,” Anes said. While parents have a right to send their children to a charter school, she said those parents should pay the tuition, much like they would for a private school. Charter schools, though run independently by their own boards, are publicly funded.

“I don’t think the district should foot the bill,” Anes said.

The board’s letter follows Interim Superintendent of Schools Ronald Bolandi’s opposition to the proposed charter school in Edison. He said he is not averse to the idea of charter schools, but he has concerns about one being located in a suburban area such as Edison.

“What the state misses is that there is no reduction [in costs] of any kind for us,” he has said. “The taxpayer does not have a vote on this, and we don’t have the ability to make any suggestions on the decision. There is no protection for the taxpayer.”

Bolandi said he believes adding a charter school in the township would create a hardship.

“It could reduce even more services,” he said.

The application comes at a time of great budget difficulties for the school district. After losing $9.7 million in state aid for the current school year, the board laid off numerous teachers and other staff and faculty members. After voters rejected the school budget inApril, the Township Council ordered an additional cut of $6.5 million in May.

Board of Education members have said they expect they will have to make even more difficult decisions as they prepare the budget for 2011-12. While charter schools in New Jersey are now serving more than 26,000 students, some have been controversial. In East Brunswick, the Board of Education argued against the approval of the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School in 2009. Though the school was ultimately approved and opened in September, a legal battle has centered on enrollment and the amount of money the district must provide. The East Brunswick school board budgeted $1.2 million for the charter school for 2010-11, but that figure has been reduced to an allocation of $657,000, based on the school’s enrollment, which continues to be a topic of debate. The board reports that the enrollment is 78; the charter school states that it has 102 students.