Tuesday, May 14, 2013
State delays go-ahead amid questions about legality, viability of virtual classrooms for kids
The nation’s largest online education company, K12 Inc., is once again registering kids and offering jobs to teachers for the debut of New Jersey’s first virtual charter school – all without knowing if the school will even open. The New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School was one of two applications given preliminary approval by the state Department of Education two years ago. But it was forced into a delay last summer, when state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf wouldn’t grant the final charter amid ongoing questions – legal and otherwise – about the school’s merits and viability. Almost a year later, answers to those questions remain hotly debated, including in the courts, and K12 Inc. is taking a wait-and-see approach to what Cerf …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
State augments rigorous regulations to further protect students and staff following Newtown school shooting.
In the weeks and months following the Newtown, CT, mass killing, much of the attention in schools has been on lockdown drills and how they can be practiced and adjusted to prevent or at least minimize casualties in the event of an armed intruder. They’re tough questions, but growing all too real. And there are others: Are teachers and staff prepared to respond protect themselves and their children? Are effective alerts in place, ones that warn of the presence of an "active shooter"? Can each room be secured and everyone in it shielded from harm? In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, New Jersey school officials have repeatedly said that the state’s requirements are as strict as any in the nation, calling for ongoing security planning and…
Friday, August 31, 2012
Appeals court dismisses NJEA bid to block schools, but union says it will pursue its case
New Jersey’s experiment with "hybrid" online charter schools has started, even while the legal challenge from the state teachers' union is also moving ahead. The first of two hybrid charters, which mix both traditional teaching and online tools, opened in Newark this week -- with the 80 sixth graders at Merit Preparatory Charter School receiving their Apple laptops. The second hybrid, the Newark Preparatory Charter School, will open this coming Thursday. It's based on the same model: students attend school every day but receive much of their instruction online. But that doesn’t mean the legal battle over hybrids is over. The New Jersey Education Association had sought to block the schools from opening outright, filing a challenge last week…
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
With legislation to overhaul law going slow -- for now -- state BOE will consider plan to expand state’s role with charter schools
The Christie administration is moving ahead with new regulations for charter schools, jumping ahead of the Legislature and its plans to take up the issue -- and maybe a whole new law -- in the fall. The state Board of Education will hear on Wednesday the latest version of the administration’s proposed regulations that have come under criticism for expanding the size and scope of charters in the state. The proposal had been going before the board last month and was delayed for further review. In that time, the new version released yesterday does make changes that appeared to address some of the criticism. For one, it takes out its main reference to online charter schools, one of the primary targets of concern. However, the new regulations …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Senate committee strips "acting" from commissioner of education title, full senate approval virtually certain
The hearing in the Statehouse committee room was ostensibly for the confirmation of Chris Cerf as New Jersey’s education commissioner, a formality at this point for a man who’s been on the job as acting commissioner for more than 18 months. In the end, the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Cerf by a unanimous vote, releasing the nomination for an all but certain confirmation by the full Senate on Monday. But the committee’s four-hour-long interview yesterday was also part of the continuing power play by the Legislature to show its relevance in what has become an increasingly aggressive education agenda under Gov. Chris Christie. Time and again, Senators pressed Cerf to work more closely with the Legislature in crafting its policies, …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
One of Senator Weinberg's goals, who's paying for what at the NJ Department of Education.
It’s not a typical request from a ranking legislator, but state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) doesn’t always follow the beaten path. Last week, Weinberg announced in a press release that she had filed an Open Public Records Act request to the Christie administration for information on a now-familiar topic: who’s paying for what jobs in the state Department of Education. The request was largely a repeat of an OPRA request made by one of the administration’s prime antagonists, the Education Law Center of Newark, Weinberg said, and it appeared to raise few new lines of inquiry. But for Weinberg to jump into the debate was notable. She is the Senate Majority Leader, the second highest post in the Senate, and also a prominent member of the …
Monday, July 16, 2012
Department of Education denies Shalom Academy Charter School application.
State officials rejected a bid to open a Hebrew immersion charter school for students in Englewood and Teaneck, saying the school had not proven it was ready and could not supply the required documents. Shalom Academy Charter School failed to provide a certificate of occupancy for educational use, a fire inspection certificate for educational facilities and a "sanitary inspection report with satisfactory rating," Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf wrote in a letter to school founder Raphael Bachrach. "The Board of Trustees and founders of Shalom Academy Charter School have not only failed to meet the necessary statutory and regulatory requirements to gain final approval, but have also not demonstrated overall leadership and …
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Democrats preserve funding formula while awaiting Cerf’s report on formal plan
New Jersey’s fiscal 2013 budget may be signed -- give or take a line item or two -- but the debate over how to distribute its largest slice of spending is far from over. Gov. Chris Christie sought in his budget proposal to rewrite parts of the state’s school funding formula, tweaking the intricate methods for determining how much districts receive from the state for individual children. The $8 billion distributed to districts represents close to a quarter of all state spending. But the Democrat-led Legislature succeeded in tweaking it right back in the final budget approved last week, as it removed all the budget language in Christie’s proposal that would have essentially codified his changes. The Democrats left intact the final aid …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Innovation chief approved as BOE seems unlikely to slow down charter push
The State Board of Education yesterday got an earful on the Christie administration’s push for charter schools and other so-called innovations, both pro and con, some quite public and some a bit quieter. The public part was further deliberation and a crowded public hearing on the administration’s controversial regulations proposed for charter schools, including some new powers for the commissioner and new language that will codify online charter schools. Forty people signed up to speak, a far bigger crowd than usual and voicing a host of concerns about the new rules, from the philosophical to the logistic. Nevertheless, while the state board members listened intently, few of them seemed all that intent to slow down the changes. The quieter…
Monday, June 4, 2012
Education chief gets more powers with more room for online charters under rules under review
What it is: The Christie administration has proposed new regulations for New Jersey’s charter schools, from who can apply, how the application process would work, and what would be required for charter schools once approved, including considerably more powers for the state education commissioner. The proposal is before the State Board of Education, which will hold a public hearing on Wednesday. What it means: The proposed regulations include a number of controversial measures, some of which critics contend go against what is allowed under the state’s 15-year-old charter school law. Among them are provisions for online charter schools and expanded roles for national charter management companies. What it may mean: There are significant …
Diane Schwarz
10:56 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Education of our children by maintaining first rate PUBLIC SCHOOLS is top priority as far as I'm concerned. It is a requirement in a Democracy! Legislature, get to work on these proposals! Let's have them before the next round of applications for Charter Schools! more ›