Busloads of Cash Leaving Town For Charter Schools

- Darcie Cimarusti

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Highland Park is a community in the truest sense of the word. I moved here from Brooklyn in the summer of 2005 to raise a family. I was thrilled to find myself in a walking town with nearby restaurants and stores, and thoughtful neighbors that cook meals for each other when they have a baby or are going though difficult times.

When school started that fall my stepdaughter eagerly awaited the bus to take her to Kindergarten. On the first day I watched as she ran out the door shouting “Bus, bus, bus!” and happily climbed aboard. It all seemed too good to be true.

Fast forward to 2011, and things have changed in Highland Park. As of 2006, there are no more buses for kids in the Borough. Parents were not pleased with the Board’s decision, but we understood, and I for one respected it. I would rather lose bussing than teachers or programs.

(base image, A-Digit / iStockphoto.com)

We joined together and created walking school busses to get our kids to school. On any given morning you will see little clumps of kids walking ahead of one or two tired, weary looking parents scurrying kids off for another school day. At Irving Primary School where a car line was implemented you can see parents waiting to drop off our youngest students who aren’t quite ready to walk a mile or two to school.

What does this have to do with charter schools? Well, you may have noticed a bus driving around town picking up kids heading to Greater Brunswick Charter School, a K-8 school in New Brunswick. Because Highland Park is a sending district for that charter, on top of the tuition costs we are also responsible for the full transportation costs for the eighteen students that attend Greater Brunswick, no matter what the cost.

When we have given up bussing for many of our own students and have had to learn to adjust, how can we be mandated by the state to pay the costs of bussing for families that choose to attend a charter school?

Charters are supposed to receive 90% of the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level in the district. Charter school founders and advocates point to this 90% per pupil formula and claim that charters do more with less.

Highland Park currently pays tuition costs not only for Greater Brunswick but also Hatikvah International Academy, which opened in East Brunswick last year. Enrollment was opened to Highland Park students when Hatikvah had difficulty filling seats with East Brunswick students, even though our district was not a part of the application or approval process.

Eighteen students are leaving Highland Park to attend Greater Brunswick; six in Kindergarten, ten in Grades 1 through 5 and two in grade 6. Our district is billed $233,330 for those students, for an average of $12,962.78 per student.

Hatikvah is currently only K through 2, but will add one grade per year until they are K through 8. Five children currently attend and Highland Park was billed $78,378 or $15,675 per student.

Now let’s get back to the bussing. The cost for the bus to transport the eighteen kids to Greater Brunswick is $36,000 per year. That’s an additional $2,000 for each student that attends Greater Brunswick. Add that to the $12,962.78 per pupil cost and the Highland Park school district pays $14,962.78 for each child attending Greater Brunswick.

For Hatikvah, since we are not considered a sending district, we are only required to provide aid in lieu of transportation. This means we provide each student’s family with approximately $900 to transport their child. This brings the Hatikvah per pupil cost to $16,575.

The per pupil cost for grades 1 through 5 in Highland Park is $11,655; Kindergarten is less expensive, and grades 6 through 8 are more, so I will use this figure as an average per pupil cost for all of the K-6 students attending charters.

(graphic by D. Cimarusti)

According to the 90% per pupil formula, Greater Brunswick and Hatikvah should be receiving no more than $10,489.50 for students in grades 1 through 5. Why then is Greater Brunswick receiving 43% and Hatikvah 58% more than this formula allows?

Between tuition and busing we are losing $352,208 from our 2011-2012 budget to charters. This represents the salaries of at least 6 teachers. When only twenty-three children, scattered through grades K through 6 have left our district, how are we to cut six teachers to account for this expense?

One can only imagine the effect Tikun Olam Hebrew Language Charter School would have on our budget if approved. They intend to serve two hundred Highland Park, New Brunswick and Edison students in grades 9 through 12. If even one-third of those students come from Highland Park, the effect on our budget would be disastrous.

The decision on Tikun Olam will be announced by the Department of Education on September 30th. All three districts are opposed to this charter, and members of our community have collected 2,100 petition signatures and 600 Statements of Opposition and presented them to the DOE. Currently, however, the power to approve or deny a charter rests solely in the hands of Chris Cerf, the Acting Commissioner of Education. Please consider reaching out to let him know what you think about the impact of charters on our community and our schools. Visit www.speakuphp.org to find out how.

Darcie Cimarusti is a stay-at-home mom and interior designer who would love to help you renovate your kitchen or bath. As of late she has been spending way too much time obsessing over the current education reform agenda and volunteering for Save Our Schools New Jersey.

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Comments

Considering all the facts

I am trying to understand both sides of the matter but have come up with the following questions/issues. Before I list them, I want to state that I am impressed at the steps The Board has taken since meeting with GBCS parents and would respond to other forums where I can contribute to the school system. However, I do not feel this is a forum to be a place where I can productively do that and share my individual experiences and concerns. I appreciate GBCS and what it is doing and at the same time feel that the community/township has a right to decide upon whether sending their students there is beneficial to the community. Well, here I go.... 1. The only numbers I see available are $14,294 (before transportation costs) for 2009-2010 at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc10/dataselect.php?datasection[4]=financial&c=23&d=2150&s=085&lt=CD&st=CD The problem I have with the article is that a number that someone can get via a phone call is not a verified and official number. 2. Since the total cost per pupil is $16,636, the town spends about $2,400 per student on additional costs like transportation including transporting kids to GBCS and special needs children to Highland Park and other schools as well as other expenses including costs to lease buildings.... I believe Highland Park owns most buildings and it is hard to go tit-for-tat here as Charters also have to cover their building costs. I believe VoTech schools and transportation of the like would go towards this too. I understand that last year, there was also 150,000 dollars spent on 2 trucks for maintenence although I am not sure where this is included in the budget.... 3. What are the transportation policies regarding transportation to Charter Schools? Can they in fact utilize transportation "at any cost" or are there guidelines for this somewhere? And who sets up the transportation and chooses the bus company vs reimbursing travel expenses? I'm really trying to understand how this works as I said.... 4. As for GBCS, the ethnic breakdown that Ms. Mische referred to (of 290 children 49 White Children, 163 hispanic and 75 black) is at http://www.nj.gov/education/chartsch/annrep/2010/6635.pdf (page 32). Those numbers do represent that they are trying to fill the needs of Spanish speaking students that may have a difficult time picking up the curriculum standards taught to them in English. I believe they are developing programs to address these needs (including Spanish Immersion, providing English and Spanish classes to parents and inviting families to work with their teachers on their children's homework and learning during after school hours). Some of these steps could also be good examples for the Highland Park school system to learn from or at least think about. 5. Does anybody know if the GBCS information on their operating costs (per student budget) is available and where... I am still looking into it. Is there public written information about what they bill and where is it? Also important, do they actually get paid what they bill the Highland Park Board of Ed? 6. Regarding the development of the gt program: when was it started and was it developed in time for parents (assuming they were weighing their options and trying to make an informed decision about what was best for their children) to learn about the details of the program as well as to meet the requirements of getting their kids into the program? If so, were these parents informed of the program and it's details in time to get their kids into the program should this have been something that impacted their decision? From my understanding, gt programs usually require IQ testing which can takes months to set up as well as months to complete the process...not to mention the money parents have to put out to have it done. This also makes the program exclusive (should a parent not be able to afford testing) vs. the PEP goals at GBCS that are set up to individualize for all children. 7. In hopes to offer something productive to this discussion, I would recommend that each school create a non-political Parent Customer Service Committee designed to be aware of all that is going on academically and offered at the schools. Perhaps these parents can meet with the teachers and educators on some sort of regular basis (i.e., monthly or bi-monthly). In this manner, if a parent has questions about the programs and resources, they can be referred to a person on the Committee. Perhaps if there is a new program developed, the same committee can help get the word out. This way, new programs will be filled, utilized and more successful. As Ms. Mische says, GBCS has a family Liaison assigned for this position but I am certain that in Highland Park there would be an overload of parents ready to know more about what is going on "in the classroom" as Ms. Welkovits said. 8. Thanks to those that can put aside strong personal feelings in order to state some facts and get an understanding out there for the good of our community.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:18.

I will try to answer some of your points...

Dear Anonymous, 1) As I described below in response to Mr. Elbert, the number you are citing is the district average. The number I quote is the per pupil number quoted by the HP school business administrator for Grades 1-5. How is that not official??The amount is less for Kindergarten and more for 6-8 and 9-12. The older the student the more expensive they are to educate. (This is an additional concern regarding Tikun Olam as it is proposed to be a high school) It is actually the number HP uses for tuition costs if an out of district child in grades 1-5 wants to attend our schools. The charter school law states, "90% of the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level in the district", not the district average. We have to compare apples to apples. 2) This number is erroneous because facilities costs are not included in charter funding. This is one of the complaints of charter advocates; charters receive no money towards facilities from districts or the state and must raise these funds independently. It is part of the supposed "cost savings" of charters. 3) Here is a link to the policy regarding busing: http://nj.gov/education/finance/transportation/procedures/charter_proc.pdf If the student resides in the region of residence (like GBCS for HP students) the district must provide courtesy busing. If the student resides outside of the region of residence (like Hatikvah for HP students) we must provide aid in lieu of transportation. This is what I detail in my column. 4) In New Brunswick the K-8 schools have a far greater percentage of Hispanic students than GBCS or HP. Many K-8 schools in NB are 89-90% Hispanic compared to 56% at GBCS. The district has a Principal of Bilingual Education and strong bilingual and ESL services are already in place for the predominantly Hispanic population. They even have a Bilingual Parent Council. Here is a link to the NBPS website detailing the programs as well as the Parent Council: http://www.nbps.k12.nj.us/academics/c&i/BilingualESL.htm In HP, while I admit I don't know much about our bilingual program, each school has one or more ESL teachers and the 2010-2011 budget reflects $261,048 for bilingual education. Do you know how many ESL teachers are employed at GBCS? 5) Charter schools don't bill the board of ed. From what I understand the DOE sets the amount of funding allocated to a charter from a district. The district is merely told how much was taken from their state funding and allocated to the charter. I have no idea if charters determine a per pupil cost but GBCS' school business administrator should be able to answer that question for you. 6) I know nothing about the "GT" program (I assume you are referring to Gifted and Talented?) 7) This sounds like an interesting thing for you to pursue. 8) I also appreciate the dialogue and agree that facts and understanding are crucial. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 23:03.

Hoping to discuss educational practices

I’d like to make it clear that I respect Darcie’s initiative in raising these issues related to models of school funding (many of which I agree with), and I’d be happy to work with her to set up a discussion of best practices (Darcie, I’ll email you this week. Maybe we can sit down for coffee). I totally agree that it’s a problem that schools like GBCS are not mandated by the state to share their practices, particularly with sending districts, and I’m willing to do what I can to have that happen at a local level. In an email that I and a non-GBCS parent (a HP schools mother of three) sent to the HP school board last spring, we called for just such a constructive public discussion of educational practices in the K-1 program. Overall, the board has proven itself to be remarkably responsive to the concerns we raised, and I have total respect for the dynamism and thoughtfulness of the current board members. However, among the issues we raised in that email, the one that hasn’t been discussed yet is the one closest to my heart, as a mother and an educator, which is the approach to learning inside the classroom. At a school board meeting I attended in May I was pleased to hear one board member say that he hoped this year the board could focus more on what happens inside the classroom, given that so much energy last year was spent on labor and contracting disputes as well as opposition to the (very real) threat posed by the Tikkun Olam charter high school. There are clearly great teachers and practices in the district, but I know from many conversations with HP parents that there are things that they would like to see improved, as many of these posts have mentioned. Why not address such improvements head on, taking advantage of this moment of dynamism and self-reflection in townwide discussions about the school system? This can be done in a respectful and collaborative way, building on existing strengths -- and perhaps will be a way of attracting more families and and keeping them in the district. Finally, Darcie’s account of NCLB scores at GBCS merits a longer response that perhaps I or someone else can give at some point in the future. In fact 50% of the student body does come families in which Spanish is the primary language, as stated on the NCLB page. But this discussion of scores is often used as a convenient way to dismiss the school, and barely touches on why we find the educational practices, community and internal dialogue at GBCS deeply compelling and worthy of discussion here in town. I am sure that the HP schools as well have practices that it would be beneficial for GBCS and other schools from neighboring districts to learn from – which hopefully they’ll have the chance to do as HP becomes a choice district in the coming years. Ann Mische

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 23:19.

Charters Need Accountability

Darcie Cimarusti’s article is an extremely necessary expose on an example that epitomizes what is wrong with the way in which we have chosen, as voters, taxpayers, and parents, for Trenton to approve, monitor, and allow the operation of charter schools. Like every parent, I also want to make the best decisions for my children’s education. With the recent expansion of charter schools, especially special interest charter schools with a narrow focus that crop up in high-ranking districts, I choose to fight for what I believe is a better alternative. Highland Park’s traditional public schools are truly integrated and have a long-standing proven track record of excellence. Highland Park schools are well -known for turning out achievers. Charter schools are a contentious topic and not as a result of which school you or I may choose for our respective children, but because of the broken charter school laws in NJ. For example: it’s not a true choice when one school’s funding is reduced to fund the other; it’s an unsustainable model to open limitless charter schools; the community’s voice should have weight; there needs to be a more equitable funding model; and more transparency in the way charter schools are run. Charter school advocates, those whose agenda is more in line with the privatization of public education or the funding of a private school agenda, would only prefer that you and I get into an argument about our feelings. But there is much more at stake here. I trust we can all broaden our view to see how everyone in our community and our state is affected by the current charter school environment and the broken charter school laws. - Susan Welkovits

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 20:48.

Comment to Article & Related Posts

It is unfortunate that there are members of our community who feel the need to reprimand and repress those who may disagree with them and scold the Highland Park Mirror for printing a story. Instead of engaging in a healthy discussion on the topics raised in this article, the disparity in operating costs of our area schools, there are residents whose only response to Ms. Cimarusti is to essentially stay quiet and don’t stir the pot. This mentality of oppression is not healthy for innovation (a purported trademark of charters as per some of the posts) and only helps to perpetuate the air of mystery that charters are allowed to operate under. These accusations that the mere discussion and printing of this funding disparity issue as unethical is preposterous. This is the same mentality of repression that has held us back in years past on issues of race and gender equality. The only way we can all move forward is to have open discussions on the topic rather than ostracize members of our community for speaking up on issues that concern them, particularly as it relates to the allocation of their own tax dollars. I fail to understand how anonymous posts trying to quiet the public are helpful to the meaningful discussions on this critical issue to our families, community and property values. Taking away the spin of catch phrases, glossy brochures and marketing materials and doing an independent review of the NJ Department of Education’s own statistical evidence of the schools in question, doubts are raised about the hallmarks of certain charters that are attractive to so many parents. If the model used by GBCS of IEP, innovative classrooms etc. were a proven measure of success to our students, one would expect results to follow. In contrast, GBCS appears to be doing poorly relative to the New Brunswick and Highland Park schools on several measures, while at the same time operating at a significantly higher cost basis with our community tax dollars. While a free market model for education may have some perceived benefits, there appears to be no accountability for these fundamental issues in the existing charter model. A company whose operating costs are higher with lower net results would expect to be closely examined by the shareholders (e.g.: the taxpayers who are paying for this school) in greater detail and this same standard of analysis should be applicable to charter schools as well. Further, the reference made by the anonymous post on non-charter bussing expenses is left deliberately vague and is likely referring to the costs to provide transportation to certain special needs children out of district to more specifically address their needs. I doubt that any resident would be opposed to the requirements of these special needs families with respect to their children and ambiguous statements like this are only intended to inflame rather than speak to the issues raised by this article. I commend Ms. Mische for her understanding of this funding disparity as related to transportation and encourage her to seriously consider car pooling and/or reimbursement of transportation costs as she suggests in her post. We can all agree that all schools, including Highland Park, are far from perfect and there is always room for improvement. But when the public is blindly forced to facilitate a model that degrades an existing and successful infrastructure to provide a choice for few at the expense of many and without any proven results to complement this allocation of funds, we all suffer as parents, residents and property owners and should all be concerned. -Bobbie Fawcett

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 15:44.

This is an unproductive article

Wherever their kids are going to school (how they are getting there), at this time of year parents need to be focusing on their children's needs and making sure they communicate them with their educators. For a town with wonderful parents that promote inclusiveness and a community, this article misrepresents Highland Park and divides people. It will isolate parents who are making the best choices available for their children from feeling they can become involved with the public school system without being met with hostility. It seems to me that "speak up" refers to those who completely agree with them and are ready to jump on the bandwagon. Darcie's decision to use the method of transportation to school as reason to vote down a school Those who have connected with a school that encourages truly open parent feedback and participation, individualizes education for all children and is a peaceful and inclusive environment are not invited into this conversation. Concerned individuals and The Mirror should look more into what is really going on before condemning a school. People can call the school and ask them questions or ask for a visit to see the school and what is going on there. Beware, you may find that the school has thoughtfully implemented researched-based education methods and is supporting and giving back to families and the community.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 07:11.

Where is the condemnation and hostility?

Dear Anonymous, I fail to see how detailing the costs of charter schools condemns them or is hostile. Do you not agree that Highland Park citizens have a right to know how much charter schools cost our district and how they are approved and funded? Nowhere in my column do I draw any conclusions or state that someone should be for or against charters based on their cost, rather I simply put the information into context and allow the reader to draw their own conclusion. Some may feel this is a valid expense and that is their right. Others may not. We should all have access to the facts that we need to inform our opinions. Nowhere do I state that I am for or against charters. Ann agrees that the funding model is problematic, as is the rapid proliferation of charters favored by Gov. Christie which could substantially damage funding to our traditional public schools. She further states that some charters are divisive and turn her stomach. I make no such judgement in my column. I fear that as charter after charter is approved by the state our budget will eventually be decimated, leaving less funds to serve the majority of our students. If either the state paid for charters they approved, or charters were approved by the local residents and elected officials there would be no need for this debate. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 10:36.

Community

I too believe Highland Park is a community in the truest sense of the word. An important tenet of a community is respectful, civil dialogue. It should be possible to disagree with the NJ state legislation regarding charter schools and busing while at the same time respecting parents' choices regarding the education of their children. It is sad if children and their families are made to feel uncomfortable because of where they are going to school.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 15:51.

Invitation to dialogue

I appreciate Darcie Cimurusti's commitment to the HP schools and community. I would like to echo the previous comment by saying that the GBCS kindergarten (and other grade) parents invite and want dialogue. I'm almost afraid to post here for fear that I'll be pilloried in my community -- a community which I love and which I have lived in for 12 years. In fact GBCS parents have been talking with HP school board members and others about our choices since last spring -- in private meetings with board members, in public at board meetings, and through email correspondence. These discussions have already contributed to real and material improvements in the Irving program -- the hiring of more K and 1st grade teachers, putting paras back in the classroom, better communication with administration. I'm following these developments closely. If there are still things we love about GBCS -- e.g., its commitment to innovative, progressive educational principles, self-directed learning, and multi-cultural community -- these are worth talking about here in town rather than circling the wagons. I am opposed to the opening of the Tikun Olam charter high school, because I believe it is a school that segregates rather than integrates. The opposite is true of GBCS. And we may see this happening in the other direction next year when HP becomes a choice district, and starts bringing in money from other districts. I've already talked to GBCS parents from New Brunswick who are considering HPHS for their children. We need more, not less, dialogue across the river. I personally am ready and willing to contribute to that dialogue, as I have stated many times in a variety of venues -- if people are willing to talk to me. I'm signing this note publicly in the hopes that my friends and neighbors will look me in the eye and engage in the conversation -- which unfortunately has not always been the case in the past few months. Ann Mische

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:46.

I agree that funding is problematic

For the record, let me just add that I agree with Darcie that the structure of funding for public schools -both district and charter -- is highly problematic, and bears public criticism and debate. I think Christie's support for the rapid proliferation of charter schools is a real problem and does genuinely threaten local schools systems. But this does not mean that all charters should be abolished, that they are intrinsically misconceived, and that they don't have a (limited) role as incubators of new educational practices, in dialogue with district schools, in a long tradition of educational innovation going back to John Dewey. I certainly don't think that I am betraying my community by sending my child to GBCS. Rather, schools like GBCS contribute in important ways to communities, broadly conceived. As another GBCS parent put it, "my sense of community doesn't stop at the Albany Street Bridge." The sad thing, in fact, is that the structure of public school funding, based in local property taxes, leads us to narrow our circle of concern more than we otherwise might want to. And also for the record, I feel terrible that HP is funding the GBCS bus, and would happily carpool or contribute financially to that transportation, if it would make a difference. Ann Mische

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 21:30.

Look for Understaning

You noted that six of the children from HP attending GBCS are in Kindergarten. It sounds like progressively HP is losing more children to GBCS each year. Perhaps instead of fighting this movement it is time to stop and listen to WHY so many parents are making this choice. I am assuming it would have to be an educated choice and the parents are actively searching for the best educational environment for their children. I think it is time to start a conversation instead of a fight. It is only with dialogue that we can create real change that will benefit our town and and our children. HP schools and its children should be able to benefit from the competition of a good charter school across the bridge.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 22:40.

I agree that dialogue is key

I won't presume to speak for parents that have decided to go to GBCS, but the main reasons I heard cited at school board meetings were fear that gifted students would not receive services they needed, that GBCS offers individualized education plans for each student and concern over increased class size in Kindergarten at Irving and no paraprofessionals in the classroom. Over the last several years due to both budget cuts and increasing enrollments paras were taken out of the classroom and class sizes grew to 20 or more students. For the 2011-2012 school year funding was increased from the state, the budget was passed with a 2% increase and the district was able to save in other places. As a result, two additional Kindergarten teachers were hired and a paraprofessional was placed in each class. Kindergarten classes are now under 20 students and have a teacher and a para. I believe strongly in supporting our public schools and working to improve them for ALL children. I trust that our district will do the best for our students with the resources they have, and that the community must then work together with the district to fill any gaps that may arise. I don't agree that there should be competition in public education, especially when the current climate denigrates teachers and strips schools of funding at the same time the Department of Education approves and opens record numbers of charters without the approval of local districts and then hands them the bill for a school the majority of parents do not want. How is it competition when we are being forced against our will to compete against ourselves? I am confident that Highland Park would not elect to have a charter school if allowed to vote on the matter, but rather to fully fund and support each and every public school child. Wouldn't we ALL love small class sizes, individualized education plans and language immersion for our children? But until we are willing as a society to fund these advantages for ALL children, I fail to see why we should be mandated by the state to provide them to a precious few. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 12:44.

"I fail to see why we should

"I fail to see why we should be mandated by the state to provide them to a precious few" FYI: Highland Park spends money on transportation of students to Highland Park schools as well as to other schools further than New Brunswick. That is why there are different figures in the budget for the amount that the district spends per student with and without these costs.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 07:48.

Please don't misquote me

Dear Anonymous, You are taking my quote out of context. This quote was in reference to the educational offerings at charters such as small class sizes, individualized education plans and immersion language. It had nothing to do with busing. I would take far less issue with the busing costs if they were more in line with our own expenditures, but when we pay more than two times more to bus kids to one charter and five times more to bus them to another, something is very wrong indeed. Clearly the $400 per student number I quoted in a comment below for in district busing does not include special ed needs. That is a totally separate issue. Every child in New Jersey is guaranteed a thorough and efficient education under our State Constitution. If our district can not provide sufficient services for a special needs student it is incumbent upon us to provide that education out of district. This is a totally separate issue from charters. It is well documented that charters "cream" the highest performing children off the top and leave behind the harder to education special ed, ELL and Free Lunch students. This leaves the traditional public schools with less funding to educate the more difficult and expensive to educate students. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 10:52.

The point is not just competition

The issue I'd like to discuss in town is not competition, but innovation. Why NOT have personalized education plans (PEP goals) at Irving and other HP schools? Why not organize classrooms so differentiation can happen gracefully within the normal classroom day, without relying on pull-outs? GBCS serves a much broader spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds than HP -- half of the kids are from non-English speaking families. This is not seen as a problem at the school, but part of its mission. There is a spirit at the school that is truly inspiring. I know that there are fabulous teachers at Irving, but also interesting and innovative things happening at GBCS that bear talking about in town, not to privilege my kid, but perhaps to help make HP schools even stronger. In my mind GBCS is what a charter school should be -- a seedbed of educational reflection and innovation deeply rooted in the community, in the broad sense of the word. But innovation without communication is segregationist. Many of the corporate, chain, and boutique versions of charter schools turn my stomach -- and are in fact divisive for communities. Why not have a public forum in town to talk about what the schools can learn from each others' best practices? As long as it's in a true spirit of mutual learning, I'm on board. Ann Mische

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 16:28.

GBCS in existence since 1998 with little evidence of innovation

Ann, I greatly appreciate your comments and that you have signed your name to them so we can have an open dialogue. I also would welcome a forum where we can come together as a community to discuss our thoughts on these issues. I would be happy to work with you to set this up. Feel free to reach out to me at darciecimarusti@gmail.com First however, I would like to get some facts straight. I don't know what you are basing your statement on when you say that GBCS "serves a much broader spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds -- half of the kids are from non-English speaking families". If you look at data from the National Center for Education Statistics (latest data if for 2009-2010), 13% of GBCS students are classified as English Language Learners (ELL) and 42% receive free lunch. While these numbers are higher than the HP numbers (4% and 23%) they are considerably less than NB (18% and 76%). Despite the fact that we have less ELL students than GBCS over 50 languages are spoken by children in our district. GBCS has been in New Brunswick since 1998. In that time what innovations have been shared to improve instruction in the traditional public schools? In my mind the innovative nature of charters is yet another promise not delivered. While I think a community meeting to discuss best practices is a great idea, why hasn't the state been asking GBCS to share their supposed innovative approaches for the last 13 years? I am not a fan of standardized testing or classifying students or schools as "failing", but it is striking to compare the testing data for GBCS with HP and NB. In the 2010 NCLB Report Card GBCS elementary students drastically underperform HP and in many cases NB as well. In Language Arts only 2.9% of GBCS students score Advanced Proficient, compared to 13.8% in HP. 25.5% scored proficient at GBCS compared to 57.2% in HP, and 71.6% scored partial proficient compared to 29.1% in HP. NB's scores in Language Arts are strikingly similar to GBCS - 1.1% Advanced, 28% Proficient, and 70.9% Partial Proficient. While NB has far more ELL and almost twice as many Free Lunch students, their test scores in Language Arts are roughly equivalent to GBCS. In Math GBCS fairs far worse. 10.8% score Advanced Proficient, 27.5% Proficient and 61.8% Partial Proficient. NB's Math scores are far better - 18.9% Advanced Proficient, 41.5% Proficient and 39.6% Partial Proficient. At GBCS far more kids are not meeting state standards in Math than in NB. HP scores better with 52.6% Advanced Proficient, 34.3% Proficient and 13.1% Partial Proficient. Almost five times more kids in HP are scoring Advanced Proficient in Math in HP than at GBCS. My point in relating this data is twofold. First, by most measures HP is doing well. We take pride in our multicultural community and our early childhood programs and on the whole our kids are testing well. I think we lose sight of how lucky we are to have 1/2 day pre-K and full day Kindergarten at all! These are NOT state mandates. Most districts have no Pre-K and many have cut back to half day Kindergarten. Other districts may have similar offerings but parents are asked to pay for these programs. Second, it gets harder to make claims of innovation OR competition when faced with the data that seems to demonstrate that GBCS is not measuring up to it's host districts in terms of demographics or test scores. This raises very serious questions as to why our district is asked to fund a school that is not being held to or performing at the same standards. Are there areas that need improvement in our district? Absolutely! But if GBCS is a "seedbed of educational reflection and innovation" as you claim, I would expect to see children fairing far better on the NJASK. I would also expect that over the last 13 years some of these innovative approaches would have been shared with the host districts.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 23:19.

The numbers on the chart do not match DOE data

According to the official state numbers the cost per Bartle school student is $16.6K or $14.2K depending on how the cost is calculated. See: http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc10/dataselect.php?datasection%5B4%5D=f... Also, currently there is about 360 students enrolled in HPHS. If Tikun school serves 60 students as article suggests, it's not a niche market. Disclaimer: I will not send my children to any of the discussed charter schools but let's keep the facts straight. Igor Elbert Yahoo Group: hpnjparents

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 19:13.

Response to Mr. Elbert

The link you provide cites the School Report Card for the 2009-2010 school year. While you provide a link to the Bartle School Report Card and claim that this therefore represents the cost to educate a Bartle student, it clearly states that this is the "average cost per pupil in the district." If you look at the report cards for all four Highland Park schools the same numbers are used. The data is not broken down according to grade level. It is far more expensive to educate a high school student than an elementary school student, and these numbers vary by thousands of dollars. The charter school law states "90% of the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level in the district" The per pupil figure I used is for educating students in grades 1-5 for the 2011-2012 budget as quoted by the Highland Park School Business Administrator. Please feel free to call her if you would like to confirm the number. Also, if 60 children from Highland Park were to attend Tikun Olam it is reasonable to assume that a fair number, perhaps even the majority of those students, would not come from within our public school system but rather from the private religious schools in the area. I believe the Tikun Olam charter proposal has failed to demonstrate an unmet need in the public school system, especially now that we are teaching Hebrew, but rather is an attempt to create a private school with public money. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 23:55.

Darcie, you are right: to

Darcie, you are right: to validate the numbers we would need to get the cost per student and the number of students per school for all the schools in the district. Maybe someone on the thread can make these numbers available.

Your comment about some of the children coming from private schools is also right to the point. I think everybody agrees that combination of public and charter schools can offer publicly funded education to more Highland Park students and offer options that were not available before. The discussion seem to revolve around the question if it worth the money taken away from public schools.

If your numbers are right I would support your statement that it's not fair that the cost to the town for a charter school student is higher than for a public school student. That should be rectified - state's intent seems to be that charter should cost less.

That out of the way, we can concentrate on the main point: should the public school be the only available choice? This warrants another article.

Igor Elbert

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 13:37.

Excellent question

Thank you Igor. That is precisely the question I am trying to answer. Is it worth the money taken away from public schools. I would add to that also, is it fair for the state to mandate that we pay when it seems to me from talking with people all over town (we have had tables and spoken to hundreds of HP residents at Irving School International Day and the Highland Park Street Fair last spring and the Back to School Nights at the MS, HS and Bartle this fall) that the majority, including all of our elected officials (mayor, council members, school board members, freeholders, assemblymen and senator) are opposed to the proliferation of charters in thriving districts such as Highland Park. I apologize if I was not as clear as I should have been in my column that this is my best estimate as to what the DOE could possibly be basing their numbers on. Please see in my comment above where I clarify that the number I use is actually what HP charges out of district families with children in grade 1-5 that attend Highland Park schools and pay tuition. I can only imagine how complicated the actual formulas the DOE uses are and how they arrive at their numbers. I merely thought it was worth investigating why we seem to be paying more for charter students when all factors are weighed than we pay for (or charge for) our own. My plan is to pursue this with the DOE and get some answers. I would be happy to update you with any findings as soon as I have them if you would like to email me personally. darciecimarusti@gmail.com Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 23:21.

Blaming Kids

Darcie - when you play this "We don't have buses, but THOSE kids do" game it blames the kids on the buses and makes them targets. I cant believe the editors would let this through. You want to debate choices and why they are made, go ahead and debate it amongst adults, but don't play the "look what they have" game. I dont think you thought this through

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 15:14.

Blaming Kids?

I am certainly not blaming kids or parents and can't imagine that anyone in our community would "target" kids on buses! Target them for what? This piece is about clarifying the cost of charter schools. How is a guest column in our local paper not meant to "debate it amongst adults?" Where would it be OK to bring these issues to light? I welcome a community forum on the topic where we can all get together and discuss issues surrounding charter schools and their funding, but an anonymous accusation of making kids a target is inflammatory and does not further dialogue. I welcome a debate of the facts and issues at any time. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 16:53.

Buses and anonymity

I don't think you nor, the mirror meant this to be the message the article sends, for the record, I love the mirror and think its great a small town can have a paper that people use to keep up on current events. However, your article is organized as such 1) Life here was great 2) we chose to eliminate buses, but tired and weary, we forged on 3) have you noticed buses? well, they aren't ours, they belong to the usurpers - and I quote "Well, you may have noticed a bus driving around town picking up kids heading to Greater Brunswick Charter School" add these statements to the headline (as if the $$ is under the kids seats on the bus) and... Excuse me, but how can you be surprised that people read your article and feel that it is naming kids (and their parents) and saying they are in essence stealing from the town. and yes "targeting them" as "bad neighbors". And, it is for that reason that I do not sign my name. I love this town as much as you do, and I walk around each day being a good neighbor. However, each of us makes decisions that, at times, are not the best thing for the town, whether it be sending a kid to the charter school, leaving our property in disrepair which brings down housing values, shopping at WalMart instead of Stop and Shop, or opposing development which could bring much needed property tax revenue to the schools. Its only the charter school parents that get singled out.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:21.

Blame

The article (perhaps unintentionally) seems to say "I and my kids were happy taking the bus and then the charter school kids came along and took it away. Look they get to ride a bus and we don't". It sounds like blame. Perhaps you just intended to clarify the cost of charter schools. Unfortunately, your piece does come across as inflammatory to me and does not further dialogue.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 19:48.

No blame implied or intended

Nowhere do I link the districts decision to cut busing to the charter school issue. I simply state that we have had to come together as a community and learn to adjust to not having it, yet are forced by the state to pay for it for charter students. No cause and effect stated or implied. I am sorry the column came across that way to you, please know that was not my intention. Interestingly, for the 200 or so students the district buses to Highland Park schools we pay $80,000, or $400 per student. How is it efficient to pay $900 to bus to Hatikvah and $2,000 to GBCS? I think it is crucial that we all understand the cost involved with charters, and are clear on the price our district pays and what is at stake when this funding is lost. It is time to dispel the myth that "the money follows the child." These tensions have been boiling under the surface of our community for quite some time with little to no open dialogue between interested parties. Most meetings have been behind closed doors between small groups of people. If this column serves to further open dialogue then I will consider it a success. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 21:08.

The Highland Park school

The Highland Park school system is wonderful and so is Irving School. It makes no sense to me why someone would leave Highland Park to go across the river to a FAILING charter school and ask the taxpayers to pay for it and the busing! All of my children have attended school here from pre-k through high school and got a perfectly fabulous education. I can see if Irving School was failing or not meeting all needs but it seems like things are turning around at Irving, the administration and Board are working to fix those issues, etc and yet those 18 parents are not willing to give Irving a try? That just doesn't seem fair at all.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 21:01.

How do you know whats in people's heads

How do you know whether any of those 18 are willing to give Irving a try? Do you read minds? and who's asking the taxpayers to pay for anything.? What, you think charter school parents have some kind of property tax exemption? They aren't taxpayers? Don't taxpayers also pay for the kids who go to Irving, Bartle, etc?

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 00:17.

Taxpayer arguments are weak and unproductive

Dear Anonymous, In my opinion the argument about property taxes is particularly unproductive and weak. If you pay twice the property taxes I pay are you then able to send multiple children to school and I can only send one? If you lose your home should you have to leave a charter school? If you own a home and have no children should you be exempt from the portion of your taxes allocated to schools? Do we really want a system where if a child's parents don't own property they are ineligible for public education at either a charter or traditional public school? To me this is not about where individuals choose to spend their property tax dollars but rather how we as a community decide to educate our children in the most thorough and efficient way possible with the resources we have at our disposal. Education is a common good. Darcie Cimarusti

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 09:59.

We Agree Darcie

If you are talking to the right anonymous -- If you are telling the anonymous who was incredulous that charter school kids are paid for by taxpayers that she/he is barking up the wrong tree-- then we finally agree on something. I think it is wrong to assess ones value to the town based upon how much they cost, or bring into, the town in terms of property they own, or choices they make with schools.

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 13:10.

Busloads of Cash Leaving Town For Charter Schools

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