Click on the videos above for messages  from Dr. Maureen Reusche and BOE President Seth Klukoff about the charter school issue.

Click HERE for Frequently Asked Questions about charter schools.

Click HERE for an op-ed piece on charter school funding by Dr. Maureen Reusche and the Superintendents of Voorhees and Somerdale. The article appeared in a recent edition of  the Courier-Post. 

Chronology of Events:

May 2011 - Cherry Hill is notified that an application has been submitted for a publicly funded charter school to open in Cherry Hill.  Cherry Hill submits a letter outlining its concerns about the school, as do the other three sending districts (Voorhees, Somerdale, and Lawnside).

• Click HERE for the district's response filed in May 2011. 
• Click HERE for a letter from Mayor Platt that accompanied the district's response. 

September 30, 2011 - The Department of Education announces the approval of the Regis Academy Charter School. Preliminary NJDOE guidance indicates that Cherry Hill will have to set aside nearly $1.9 million to support an estimated 169 Cherry Hill students in September 2012. 

• Click HERE for the charter school application approved by the DOE.
• Click HERE for application addenda submitted by the charter school in July 2011.

October 5, 2011 - The district reaches out to local legislators for support in appealing the charter approval and enacting a moratorium on all charter school approvals until the Senate takes action on pending legislation that would require local approval for the establishment of charter schools. Click HERE to view our letter to legislators.  

October 11, 2011 – The Cherry Hill Board of Education unanimously adopts a resolution to file an appeal of the approval of the Regis Academy Charter School.

October 13, 2011 - A contingent of Cherry Hill residents attend the Senate Education Committee Hearings on S2243 and S3001.  Cherry Hill resident and parent Loraine Carapellucci presents testimony along with other members of Save Our Schools, a grassroots statewide group advocating for reform of the charter school approval process.  Click HERE to view Loraine’s testimony. 

October 14, 2011 – Dr. Maureen Reusche meets with Superintendents from Voorhees and Lawnside to discuss creation of a collaborative op-ed piece to submit to the newspapers to continue to raise awareness.

October 16, 2011 – The Philadelphia Inquirer publishes an editorial supportive of the district’s position; click HERE to view.

October 18, 2011 – Dr. Reusche met with Mayor Platt and members of his staff to review a variety of issues, including the charter school. The Mayor (who submitted a letter objecting to the charter application last spring) continues to offer his support for any initiatives the district must take. 

October 19, 2011 – Dr. Reusche and Dr. Ray Brosel, Superintendent of the Voorhees Public Schools, meet with Assemblyman Lou Greenwald.  Assemblyman Greenwald notes that he is a supporter of charter schools, but not in this case. Assemblyman Greenwald reports that he has spoken with Commissioner Cerf and raised the following points:  he challenged the basis upon which the approval for the charter had been granted; he questioned the criteria used to identify potential attendees from each sending district (which determines the amount of funds that must be set aside); he informed the commissioner that the amount required to be set aside is a significant portion (64%) of the total allowable budget growth to the 2% cap.  Assemblyman Greenwald has agreed to put his name to the appeal that we will write. He is also looking at changing the legislation that requires sending  districts to set aside funding.

October 21, 2011 - The BOE solicitor files an OPRA request for “all documents or other government records submitted to, reviewed by, or otherwise in the custody of the Department of Education, including but not limited to any records generated internally by the Department of Education's employees, officials or agents, pertaining to the application for and approval of the Regis Academy Charter School.

October 27, 2011 - Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt and Senator Jim Beach met with Dr. Reusche, BOE President Seth Klukoff, BOE Vice President Kathy Judge, and student representatives from our high schools to discuss the charter school issue.

November 4, 2011 - District files notice of intent to appeal the Commissioner of Education's approval of the Regis Academy Charter School.

November 17, 2011 - In response to a suit brought by the ACLU-NJ, the NJDOE releases public records containing the names of outside persons brought in by the DOE to review charter school applications. Click HERE for an ACLU-NJ press release and HERE for the reviewers' names (and other documents released under the OPRA request).

November 22, 2011 - On NJ 101.5's "Ask the Governor" radio show, Gov. Chris Christie responds to an inquiry from a Cherry Hill resident as to why charter schools are being approved in successful school districts.  He responded that while the charter school law allows for the approval of charter schools throughout the state, his preference would be that charter schools be approved only in failing districts.  Click HERE to listen to an audio clip of the question and answer; or click HERE to access the audio from the NJ101.5 website (the question comes approximately 2 minutes into Segment 3). 

December 14, 2011 - Dr. Reusche and Mr. Klukoff, along with Superintendents, BOE Presidents, and/or Mayors of the affected communities, met with Assemblyman Greenwald, Assemblywoman Lampitt, and Senator Beach.  The four sending districts will hold a regional meeting to review the charter school issue with residents.  Education Commissioner Cerf and others will be invited to attend.

What can residents do?

Contact Acting Commissioner Christopher Cerf and ask him to reconsider the DOE’s approval of the charter school. 

Here is his contact information:
Christopher Cerf
Acting Commissioner
NJ Department of Education
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ  08625-0500
You can also email the Commissioner at http://www.state.nj.us/education/parents/contact.htm

Then, contact State Senator Jim Beach, Senate President Steve Sweeney, and members of the Senate Education Committee; let them know that our community, not the NJDOE, should decide if a new charter school will open in Cherry Hill. 

Sign the petition at: http://www.change.org/petitions/new-jersey-communities-want-local-control-over-new-charter-schools-2

Each signature generates a letter to Senate President Sweeney and the members of the Senate Education Committee.

You can also contact Sen. Sweeney, Sen. Beach, and members of the Senate Education Committee by phone to urge them to support Senate Bill 458, which would reform New Jersey’s broken charter school law by requiring local approval before the establishment of a new charter school. Last June, a bipartisan majority in the New Jersey Assembly passed a bill requiring local approval for new charter schools. However, the bill was not heard in the New Jersey State Senate.  This legislation has been reintroduced for the 2012-13 legislative cycle and has strong bipartisan support and sponsorship in both chambers.

• Senator Jim Beach: (856) 429-1572
• Senate President Steve Sweeney: (856) 251-9801
• Senate Education Committee (2012)
  • Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, Chair: (973) 484-1000
  • Senator Shirley Turner, Vice Chair: (609) 530-3277
  • Senator Diane Allen: (609) 239-2800
  • Senator Jim Beach
  • Senator Michael Doherty:  (908) 835-0552
     

Other Resources:

Relevant pending legislation:

• S2243, which requires local approval before the establishment of a new charter school
• S3001/3005, which improves charter school financial and educational transparency and accountability and helps ensure that charter school students represent their sending districts

Following are links which present different perspectives on the charter school issue:

• Save Our Schools NJ
• Education Law Center
• NJ Department of Education Fact Sheet on Charter Schools
• NJ Charter Schools.org