the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, once again the Murphy administration called out for disadvantaging working families and low income parents. Center For Education Reform drops New Jersey from C to D . According to CER the Garden State’s political leadership needs to be badly weeded. The Murphy Administration has been arbitrarily rejecting expansion of successful charter schools with waiting lists as well as the opening of new schools to serve more students. While New Jersey has always been strong in having higher than average teacher standards, today’s leaders seem to be stuck in a great big pothole on the NJ Turnpike, unable to grasp that parents need more exits.
And yes it gets worse a continued and relentless assault on charter school growth by the Murphy Administration has education advocates and charter school leaders fuming. Petitions to start and to expand charter schools – which must endure a heavy handed state education departments cumbersome and establishment focussed Department of Education, are being regularly denied for no reason other than teachers unions and district demands, costing New Jersey two spots in the national rankings and dropping their score from a C to a D for the first time in history.
The commissioner of education (who represents the state department of education) is the sole authorizer. Charter school applicants may submit applications to the local school board and the commissioner. If the local district is under state intervention, applications may be submitted to the state district superintendent for consideration but the only the state education commissioner can approve. Denied applications may be appealed to the appellate division of the state superior court. NJ is the only state in the country whose appeals go to a court.
