25
more charter schools proposed
8 would be placed in suburban
districts
Friday, August 12, 2005 • BY JOHN MOONEY •
Star-Ledger Staff
Twenty-five proposed charter schools --
eight of them in suburban areas -- have made bids to open in
New Jersey within the next two years.
The applications to the state Department
of Education create the largest pool in five years, and the
first in which so many of the experimental schools are being
eyed in suburban districts, not typically fertile ground for
charters.
Among the applications are proposed
schools in South Orange-Maplewood, Cherry Hill, Hackensack
and Parsipanny-Troy Hills.
"Generally we see charter schools
sprouting up in urban areas where there is a problem of
under-performance, but obviously with these, there may be
other issues at play," said Heather Ngoma, director of the
New Jersey Charter School Resource Center.
"I think this will help take the stigma
off of charters being only about poor children," she
said.
State officials are to decide on the
applications by January. In 2000, when 27 applications were
filed, nine were ultimately approved.
Among the applicants is the proposed
South Orange-Maplewood Experience Charter School, the
brainchild of Marjorie Lloyd, a New York City social studies
teacher who lives in Maplewood.
She envisions a small high school that
would encourage and even demand students take advanced
placement classes, where all students go to college, and the
class day would be moved back to 10-to-5 to allow for
community service every morning.
She said the decision to apply was not an
indictment of her district's Columbia High School, where her
daughter will be a freshman.
"Suburban people need choices as well,"
she said. "We should have an opportunity to make a choice,
to make a selection. Why should you have to go to a school
that is almost 2,000 students or more? You should be able to
choose if you want a smaller environment for your
child."
Lloyd's proposal would be one of 12
proposed high schools, also not the typical format for
charters. There are currently just five charter high
schools. Also included would be the first charter school
proposed for Elizabeth, and two in Irvington.
Of the applicants, eight were repeats
from last year, making a second bid to the state.
A full list is available through the
state Department of Education's Web site:
www.state.nj.us/education/
Charter schools are small, independently
run public schools, often opened by parents or community
groups. Funded by local districts, they hold a charter with
the state -- hence the name -- and are seen as more
innovative and experimental, including typically longer
school days and years.
There are 48 charter schools operating in
New Jersey and another three to open in September, serving
nearly 15,000 children. The schools have produced mixed
results, with some among the state's top achievers and
others struggling to survive.
In the state's release this week of
schools failing to meet performance standards set under No
Child Left Behind Act, only nine of the 49 charter schools
fell short, a slightly better mark than the state as a
whole.
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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