State Rules On Bloomfield Charter School’s Application

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — State officials have returned a decision about a prospective charter school’s application in Bloomfield: no dice.

“State Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington has officially denied the application for The Bloomfield Conservatory Charter School,” Bloomfield Public School officials stated on the district website last week.

In May, the Bloomfield Township Council announced its opposition to the proposed school, which would have served 240 students in grades 6-8 at 683 Bloomfield Ave., the location of Sacred Heart Academy.

Both the BOE and the council said the school would divert about $2.3 million away from the Bloomfield School District if approved, NorthJersey.com reported.

The New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) denied a similar application from the Frank Sinatra Charter School of the Arts in 2016, which applied to serve about 300 students in grades 6-8.

• See related article: Prospective Bloomfield Charter School Applies To NJ DOE

The proposed school’s lead founder, Darrell Shoulars, told Essex News Daily in April that its teachers would be nonunion and the cost-per-student would be $10,158 annually.

• See related article: Bloomfield Op-Ed: No Charter Schools Wanted In Town

There are currently 89 charter schools operating in New Jersey, with 56,201 authorized seats, the DOE stated on Nov. 3.

According to the DOE, a charter school applicant team must meet the department's "rigorous multi-stage approval process."

After receiving initial application approval, the department conducts a preparedness visit and reviews the school's academic, fiscal and operational components to "ensure that the charter school applicant has the capacity to provide a high-quality educational program from the first day of school."

New charter school approvals last for four years, and renewals last for five years, the DOE states.

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