New Charter School Bill Previews Before Committee

Almost two decades since New Jersey’s first charter school law was enacted, the Legislature’s latest stab at a law for the state’s growing charter movement will get its first public airing Monday. But it is far from a done deal and -- and even if it's embraced by the panel -- skirts two of the most contentious charter school issues.

The Assembly education committee Monday afternoon is scheduled to hold its first discussion of the bill (A-4177) crafted by its chairman, state Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex).

Under the bill, an independent oversight board would be created inside the state Department of Education to review new charters and monitor existing ones in a move to address growing questions about the quality and access of the alternative schools.

“When all is said and done, we don’t want a kid to start at a charter school that three or four years later is going to be closed down,” Diegnan said last week at a forum hosted by the New Jersey School Boards Association and New Jersey PTA.

“We want to know that before it starts, it is properly vetted, and that on an annual basis it is properly vetted,” he said.

Read more at NJSpotlight.com

NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, policy-centered and community-minded.