State Denies Expansion Request From Charter School In Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ —The state Department of Education on Feb. 3 denied a request for one of Hoboken's three charter schools to add two more students to each of its K-5 classrooms over four years, which would have ultimately meant adding 36 students.

The city's Board of Education, which is primarily responsible for the district's five regular public schools, had voted at a meeting in December to publicly oppose Elysian Charter School's expansion request (although ultimately, the decision was up to the state).

The change would have expanded the population of Elysian from 288 to 324.

Hoboken contains three charter schools: Elysian Charter, Hoboken Charter, and HoLa Dual Language. All are tuiton-free and choose students through a lottery held each January, usually for only a few dozen openings.

The city also has five regular public schools – Hoboken High School, Hoboken Middle school, and three K-5 elementary schools.

Proponents of the regular public schools had expressed concerns in December that — due to the state's current funding formula — allowing Elysian to expand would mean a funding loss for the five regular public schools.

The state's denial came in the form of a February letter from state Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet to Elysian.

Commissioner Repollet noted that in reviewing the request, the state considered public comments, as well as the academic and financial performance of the charter school and the finances around all of the public schools in Hoboken.

Repollet wrote, "I acknowledge that the landscape of Hoboken schools and enrollment is subject to change and encourage Elysian to consider submitting a future expansion request pending any change to the fiscal impact of the district."

He added, "Please accept my best wishes as you continue to serve the students of New Jersey and provide a quality public school option for families."

Elysian Charter School's Board of Trustees posted a letter on their website in response to the denial, thanking the school community for their support, as well as City Council members who wrote letters on their behalf.

Elysian's letter noted that the state decision praised their school's academics, saying they "maintain performance consistent with a high-performing charter school."

Board of Trustees President Jennifer O'Callaghan said Tuesday that the decision was more due to numbers and finances, saying the state considered that there are already 1,000 seats among the city's three charter schools.

Elysian's Board of Trustees also responded, in their letter, to the Hoboken Board of Education's opposition.

"We have and will continue to rise to the challenges that face us with dignity and grace," the letter says. "Please continue to keep messages positive about Elysian. As stated from the beginning, we are not looking for any conflict with the district and although we did not get what we were hoping for, we can hold our heads up high and be proud of who we are."

When asked for a response to the state decision this week, Hoboken Board of Education President Sharyn Angley said, "Just as Elysian saw the importance of applying for an expansion, the district felt the need to oppose due to the financial and segregative effects. I am confident that we will continue to work collaboratively, as we have in the past."

The comments about the "segregative effect," which had been made by the board before, did not sit well with Elysian. O'Callaghan said the Board of Education also used the term in their recent announcement about the expansion denial.

O'Callaghan said that Elysian sent a second letter to parents about the school board's announcement, which is not yet on the website. The letter says, "As you know, three years ago, we instituted a low-income preference in the lottery, and last year we further strengthened that preference. We will continue to do more outreach to ensure all residents of Hoboken know that Elysian is a free, public school open to all. We are proud that this year alone our FRPL applications for our lottery increased by almost 22 percent and we had a total of 914 applicants, our largest lottery to date."

The city's other two charter schools also have instituted low-income preferences in their lotteries.

The second letter also states, "It is important to remember this fact: 34 percent of public school children in this town attend one of our three charter schools. This unique feature of our mile-square city is even more of a reason why all four Hoboken Public school districts need to find ways to work together."

O'Callaghan called the Board of Education's opposition "extreme and unwarranted" for an expansion over four years, but said for the time being, Elysian has no plans to reapply for an expansion.

The Hoboken school board had voted 8-0-1 in favor of publicly opposing Elysian's request to expand at a meeting in December. The Dec. 10 resolution stated, "Imposing increased charter school costs on the Hoboken Public School District, in addition to the aforementioned loss of state aid and on top of normal and expected annual cost increases, will result in further budget reductions and program cuts in the district schools."

Many have said that the source of the problems is really the state's current funding formula, which they would like to see changed. Among other factors, the Board of Education is limited by state law on how much it can increase its tax levy each year, with a 2 percent cap.

Elysian, which opened in September of 1997, was among the first 13 charter schools approved by the state.

Since then, the state and local school boards have been less generous in supporting new charters. From 2014 to 2017, the Hoboken Board of Education sued to oppose an expansion of HoLa Dual Language Charter School to grades seven and eight. The state had approved the expansion, which ultimately was allowed to stand.