New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is a well-known bedmate of the New Jersey teachers unions, misnamed the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). By extension, he is an enemy of charter schools. Murphy’s predecessor, Chris Christie, initiated a major charter school program that brought new opportunities to NJ parents, especially in big cities like Newark and Camden.
And parents responded in droves. In Newark, the charter school sector went from near zero of school age children to almost 40%. There was still plenty of unmet demand for charter school seats. Murphy has spent his 4 years in office undermining that progress.
And then Murphy stepped in, spending his 4 years in office undermining that progress. That was the subject of Tom Moran’s 2/6/22 New Jersey Star-Ledger editorial Murphy’s political games threaten charter success in Newark He wrote:
Charter schools educate more than 1 in 3 students in Newark today, and still there aren’t nearly enough seats to meet the demand.
That demand is robust for good reason: The charters are producing much better results, giving their kids a clean shot at college.
And yet, Gov. Phil Murphy has blocked several requests to expand charters recently, not just in Newark, but in Trenton, New Brunswick and other districts. Over his first four years, Murphy denied nearly two-thirds of the requested expansions and granted just one new license.
Now, charter supporters fear a slow strangulation. Two of the recent rejections banned charters from expanding into high school, which can force charter families to return to district schools when their kids reach 9th grade.
Just three days later, New Jersey blocks expansion of three Newark charter schools, continuing slowdown of charter growth
As Moran explains, charter expansion is vital to the continued educational process. As children advance through the grades, charters need to expand to open up the next levels. For example, “Two of the recent rejections,” Moran writes, “banned charters from expanding into high school, which can force charter families to return to district schools when their kids reach 9th grade.” But Murphy’s Department of Education (DOE) callously throws up a wall, disrupting the childrens’ educational progress, slapping their parents across the face, and devastating the hopes of the families still aspiring to get their kids into charter schools.
And there are plenty of families aspiring to get their children out of the traditional public schools, and into charters. On Feb. 14, Moran fired back with As he sabotages charter schools, phony Murphy asks: “What, me?”.
Every morning, Rakeemah Jordan’s two 8th-grade boys put on their uniforms and head out to a nearby charter school they love, Phillips Academy, where they get plenty of attention in classes that average about 15 students, and eat vegetables at lunch grown in a school garden.
“It’s a great school and my boys are doing really well,” Jordan says. “So, this is just heartbreaking to us. We’re really in a bind now.”
In Trenton, another mom, Danielle Burgess, told NJ Spotlight News she was in the same bind, mystified by the decision to block a planned expansion at Achievers Early College Prep into 10th grade, leaving her 9th grader stranded.
Murphy doesn’t give a damn—about them, or the parents still waiting:
In Murphy’s four years [as governor], charters schools have sought permission to add 16,000 seats. Murphy has granted just 6,000, according to the Department of Education. So, Jordan and Burgess have plenty of company.
Charter schools operate on a strictly voluntary basis. Charter school growth is wholly driven by parental demand. If those rejected 10,000 seats were approved, they would not be filled unless parents chose to fill them. So as these 10,000 and untold thousands more parents seek a better education for their children, there is Murphy, standing in the charter schoolhouse door, blocking them.
In the middle of this putrid scene, this article, Amid court battle, N.J. lawmakers consider a different way to pursue school integration, was published on February 8th.
What’s more important, education or the skin complexion of the kid sitting next to the student? To the parents, “It’s the education, stupid.” So why is the legislature focussed on non-essentials like skin color percentages in the schools. Oh, well, that’s “diversity”.
To be fair, there is some pushback against Murphy in the legislature, by some in his own Democratic Party. As Moran writes:
The best hope for charters may be a rescue from the Legislature, where Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, just took over as chairman of the education committee. He plans to hold hearings this year to draft legislation protecting schools like North Star.
But, come on, why are legislators so focussed on a non-problem? If they’re so concerned with children of darker complexion, shouldn’t education take precedence over the color-based distribution of kids in the schools? After all, America’s failing schools disproportionately affect dark- complexioned kids.
Related Reading:
Chris Christie’s School Choice Achievement.
‘Investing’ of ‘Resources’ In Education Is Up to the Taxpayer
Charter Schools – Good, but Not the Long-Term Answer
Newark's Successful Charter Schools Under Attack—for Being Successful
A Newark, NJ Mother Demonstrates the Educational Power of Parental School Choice
Dividing Parents Over Charters and Traditional Government Schools
No comments:
Post a Comment