Gov.-elect Chris Christie has announced the appointment of former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler to be the next New Jersey Commissioner of Education.

 

In a news release issued within hours of the announcement welcoming the appointment, NJCPSA Board President Carlos Lejnieks said: "The Governor-Elect continues to signal that he will put forth bold ideas and bold action in the spirit of improving educational options for our children and our families. Being the former mayor of Jersey City, Bret clearly has an understanding of the problems our educational system faces -- especially in urban areas. He has a long record of embracing choice and the expansion of quality charter schools."

 

On January 5, the New Jersey Department of Education unveiled the state's application for first phase federal Race to the Top (RTTT) education funding, which will provide $4.35 billion to the states from the federal economic stimulus program enacted last year. Some 600 local school officials representing 225 school districts attended the meeting at which Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy presented the application and outlined the application process.

 

The DOE announced the application only two weeks before the phase one filing deadline, reversing course after first deciding that New Jersey would not apply. Phase Two applications will be due later in the spring.

 

While major areas of concern like increased funding and facilities funding continue to be issues pursued by the association because of the tight Jan. 14 deadline set by the DOE, the NJCPSA asked charter schools to sign the DOE's RTTT Memorandum of Understanding seeking school district and charter schools concurrence in the application.

 

The association believes that by working with the first phase application, which is deemed by experts across the broad spectrum of public education in New Jersey to have little likelihood to succeed, charter public schools will be well positioned to participate in the formulation of the Phase Two application that will be put together by the incoming Christie administration.

 

When New Jersey wins the Race to the Top with a successful application, all Title I schools in the state, including charters, will be eligible for grant funding through this important federal initiative. The NJCPSA will work to make the second round application more robust in its focus on charter public schools.

 

It's official! The follow-up to our very successful statewide conference will be held on March 18-19, 2010 (Thursday & Friday), at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, N.J. Building on the momentum and excitement generated at the 2009 conference held in March, the 2010 event will expand to two full days and offer more breakout sessions, more opportunities to network and a larger exhibitor area -- all in a beautiful beach setting!

 

Please visit www.njcharters.org/conference for more information.

NJCPSA Membership Update

 

In late December, outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine proposed $1 billion in budget reductions. The largest single item in the proposal called on local school districts to spend $260 million from reserve balances, which would enable the state to hold back an equivalent amount in state school aid through the end of the current New Jersey Fiscal Year on June 30.

 

When the Corzine administration announced this element of its budget reconciliation it said legislation would be needed to make it effective.

 

As of the writing of this issue of Today in Trenton, it appears that no such legislation passed in the closing days of the 213th Legislative Session, which concluded Monday, Jan. 11.

 

Regardless, it is and has been the position of the NJCPSA that charter public schools should be exempt from any such plan to require schools districts to utilize reserve funds to make up for a reduction in state aid and this position has been communicated to decision makers.

 

As NJCPSA members well know, charter public schools in New Jersey face a dual set of financial difficulties. Charters do not get the full funding they are entitled to under the Charter Public School Law for operating funding and get no state assistance whatsoever for facilities.

 

The NJCPSA believes the resulting ongoing imbalance in charter public school funding should therefore exempt charters from this or any similar scheme to defer state school spending through the balance of the current fiscal year.

 

We will keep you posted as we learn more about how the state will deal with current revenue shortages as the Christie administration takes the reins of state government.

 

We are pleased to call to your attention a joint letter to the editor published Jan. 1 by The Star Ledger from Senators Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union), and Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), commenting favorably on charter public schools and their achievements in New Jersey.

 

Under the headline "Support all education" here is what these two veteran senators wrote:

 

"Recently the New Jersey Education Association has been touting the results of a study that seemed to question the merit and success of charter schools in New Jersey.

 

"Charter schools have proven long ago that they can be successful and have earned the respect and praise of leaders on both sides of the political divide. More important, parents throughout the state have been the loudest in their demand for more quality charter schools, as there are over 11,000 children on charter school waiting lists.

 

"New Jersey is home to some of the highest-performing charters in the country, and as such we should be looking at any and every opportunity to grow and expand these models of excellence so no child is allowed to languish on a waiting list or in a failing school.

 

"The time has come for the NJEA to move beyond pitting traditional public schools against charter schools in a counterproductive struggle for positive public opinion. From this point on, we need to all work together to ensure that high-performing schools are given the chance to succeed, while underperforming schools are either reformed or closed."

 

We don't think anyone could have said it better and are pleased that these two important lawmakers understand the need to focus on creating more opportunities for quality public schools of all kinds and that they give this bipartisan understanding and support to charter public schools.

Schools Gain Buying Power through NJCPSA's Partnership with STAPLES

 

NJCPSA is pleased to announce a new partnership with STAPLES -- the world's leading B2B supplier of office products -- through which member schools can receive an average of 15% off their current office supply purchasing program. If your school already orders from Staples, you could receive even deeper discounts through this exclusive program! For more information, visit the NJCPSA website or contact Sam Siniavsky, Staples Business Development Manager, at 609-517-1481.

 

Parette Somjen Architects LLC has been providing a broad range of Architectural / Engineering services to public and private schools throughout New Jersey for the past twenty years. Projects have included new construction and alterations, due diligence, building rehabilitation and a variety of maintenance / infrastructure projects such as boilers, windows and roofs. They are intimately familiar with the requirements of the Department of Education as well as local construction departments. For further information, please contact Gregory J. Somjen, principal, at gsomjen@planetpsa.com or 973-586-2400.

 

NJCPSA's Associate Member program welcomes businesses and organizations who wish to support New Jersey's charter public schools.

 

This is the final reminder that applications for SMARTer Charters Technical Assistant Grants, administerd by the NJCPSA, are due January 20. This grant program helps ease schools of their financial burdens when hiring an outside, professional consultant to implement new school programs, provide staff development or offer technical training. Applications for data-driven instruction and board governance will be given priority. For more information and a link to the online application, please visit www.njcharters.org/smartercharters.

 

Christopher Columbus Awards:
Applications Due Feb. 8
Teams of New Jersey charter school students in grades 6, 7 or 8 are invited to participate in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a program that provides real-life, hands-on experience with math, science and community service. Now in its 14th year, this awards program invites students to work in groups of three or four with an adult coach to identify a community problem and use science and technology to develop an innovative solution. More than $45,000 in prizes plus a free trip to Disney World will be given to finalists. To learn more, visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com or call 800-291-6020. The entry deadline is February 8, 2010.

With permission from the state to expand from 150 students in grades 6 to 8 to 200 in 2010-11, the Sussex County Charter School for Technology and READS, a Metuchen-based nonprofit group, broke ground on a $4.5 million facility expansion project last week. The new campus will consist of a math/science building and a humanities/arts building constructed of "green" used modular units, as well as a multi-purpose room. The charter school currently resides on the campus of the Sussex County Technical School.

 

This unique arrangement is a win-win for both parties. According to Jill Eckel, principal of the charter school, "READS will be able to sell the school to us for a profit and, in the meantime, we will be able to have a say on what the finished facility will be, while keeping our focus on education, rather than on construction." She added, "We hope this will serve as a new working model for charter school construction." [Ed. note: READS is an Associate Member of NJCPSA and its president serves on the NJCPSA Board of Trustees.]