Thursday, December 8, 2011
Protesters want Christie to hear concerns about proposed virtual charter school
More than a dozen protesters of a proposed virtual charter school gathered Thursday morning outside the Teaneck Armory, where Gov. Chris Christie was holding a press conference. Christie was on hand to discuss sick pay reform for public workers — an issue he also focused on at a town hall meeting Tuesday in West New York. The governor wants the Legislature to scrap payouts given to government employees for unused sick time. Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin joined other mayors, along with County Executive Kathe Donovan, at Thursday's press conference to demand action on reforms that promise to provide taxpayer savings and give "mayors the tools they need to manage their budgets and hold down property taxes for New Jersey families," …
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Resident shares his letter to Gov. Christie
- OPINION
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Governor Christie, When you assumed the office of Governor in January 2010 you took leadership in a State that was fiscally struggling. I can therefore appreciate the difficult task of balancing a budget where public spending far outweighed the State's revenues. However, I have increasingly been troubled by your targeting public education as one area for reductions in public spending. This might lead one to conclude that you intend to, ultimately, privatize education in New Jersey at the taxpayer’s expense. As a resident of Teaneck in Bergen County, I have witnessed your strong lobbying in May 2010 for voters to reject proposed school budgets that were asking for small increases in property taxes. In Teaneck, this may have been a small …
District files petition for emergent relief with state Department of Education.
The Teaneck Board of Education has filed a petition with the Department of Education seeking to block a proposed virtual charter school from opening and asking state officials to rescind a letter saying the school could cost Teaneck $15.4 million. In October, the state sent a letter to Teaneck Schools Superintendant Barbara Pinsak saying the district might have to budget $15.4 million for the proposed Garden State Virtual Charter School. The school plans to enroll 1,000 K-12 students in a statewide online program, with a drop-in center in Teaneck. State education officials made the calculation based on every student coming from Teaneck, but said the district was not required to budget the full amount. District officials have said the …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Proposed virtual charter school would place unfair burden on Teaneck and other districts, letter says.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
My niece is a student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. I am writing to express my extreme concern regarding the application for charter submitted by the Garden State Virtual Charter School. I am appalled that the New Jersey Department of Education would even consider granting a charter to a group that has submitted an application with a host of unsubstantiated claims that poses a considerable monetary threat to an existing public school system. Teaneck already has a well established charter school as well as many private schools that serve the needs of those who choose not to utilize the public schools. There is no need for another charter that offers nothing materially differently other than its method of delivery. A virtual charter …
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Residents sound off on proposed virtual charter school
Teaneck school officials urged residents to lobby the Legislature and state Education Department for changes to charter school laws as public outcry continued Tuesday over the more than $15 million budget projection for a proposed virtual charter school in town. At issue is a charter application submitted for the Garden State Virtual Charter School, which would offer a statewide online curriculum with a drop-in center in Teaneck. In October, state education officials notified Superintendent Barbara Pinsak that the charter could cost Teaneck $15.4 million. State officials contend the figure is only a guide based on all students coming from Teaneck, but Pinsak said the cost would devastate the public school system. A meeting between the …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Virtual charter school could delay opening if funding regulation not addressed, founder says.
School officials have scheduled a Tuesday night public meeting to discuss a proposed virtual charter school that state education officials have said could cost the school district more than $15 million, the district announced. In an Oct. 28 letter, the state Education Department informed Superintendant Barbara Pinsak that the proposed Garden State Virtual Charter School could draw students from Teaneck, leading to a potential cost of more than $15 million. The charter school has not yet been approved, and the actual costs would depend on how many Teaneck students enroll. In a Nov. 19 letter emailed to Teaneck district officials, lead charter school founder Jason Flynn said the school would delay opening if the state does not address …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Two planned charter schools have sparked debate in Teaneck
The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley will host a forum on charter schools and the future of public education tonight at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Stan Karp, director of the Secondary Reform Project at the Education Law Center, will speak on current issues in education, the impact of charter schools on public education, and the history of charter and voucher proposals, a LWV press release said. The free event starts at 7:30 p.m. in the medical center’s auditorium. Guests should enter through the main entrance. The Christie Administration has made charter schools a key component of the state’s education reform plan, but the schools have sparked controversy locally. Shalom Academy Charter School, a planned Hebrew …
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Massive layoffs, program cuts possible.
The Township’s public school district has been warned to budget more than $15 million for a proposed Teaneck-based virtual charter school in a scenario that could lead to sweeping cuts to programs and staff, District Superintendent Barbara Pinsak said Wednesday. In a letter to the district, the state said Teaneck should allocate more than $15 million for “planning purposes” in its 2012-13 budget for the Garden State Virtual Charter School, Pinsak said. The state Education Department will announce in January if the charter is approved to open. The $15.4 million warning represents 20 percent of the Teaneck public school budget, Pinsak said. “$15 million is devastating,” Pinsak said. “I’m shocked.” The charter’s proposed cost to Teaneck would…
Friday, October 21, 2011
No virtual charter schools operating in New Jersey yet.
The proposed Garden State Virtual Charter School plans to have an almost $4.7 million surplus after its first year and offer a largely online curriculum, northjersey.com reported Friday. According to the report, the planned school will have a small facility in Teaneck with 36 teachers who would teach using web conferences and provide extra help for students who come in. Two online schools have been approved for the fall, but none are currently operating in New Jersey. Some have raised questions about the effectiveness of the online education programs. The state will announce if the virtual charter is approved in January. Another planned charter, Shalom Academy Charter School, has stirred controversy as critics have said its Hebrew-…
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Officials will announce if the school is approved in January.
A new charter school proposal in Teaneck was one of 42 new charter applications the state received by Monday's deadline, according to the Department of Education. The school, called Garden State Virtual Charter School, is planned to serve students in Kindergarten through grade 12, according to the state Education Department. Details on the school were not released, and a school representative could not be immediately reached Tuesday night. Elsewhere in Bergen County, the Northeastern Arts and Science Charter School was proposed to serve grades K-5 in Hackensack and Ridgefield Park. Officials will announce what schools are approved in January, said Department of Education spokesman Justin Barra. Gov. Chris Christie has made opening more …
JamesTS
5:10 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
how else could they have handled it? theres a process to appeal these DOE decisions which the Teaneck BOE is following? what else do you suggest? more ›