Montclair Forum About Charter Schools Will Include Local Activists

Montclair, NJ – Montclair Cares About Schools and the Bloomfield Board of Education will present a panel discussion titled “An Analysis of Charter School Impact on Public School Districts” on Saturday, May 14.

The free, public forum will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Montclair Fire Department Headquarters at 1 Pine Street. Space is limited; reservation sign-up is available at Eventbrite.

According to a news release, the panel will be moderated by Michelle Fine, co-author of “Charter Schools and the Corporate Makeover of Public Education.” Fine was recently featured on NPR’s “The Leonard Lopate Show” in a discussion about charter schools.

Topics will include “the history of charter schools, the differences in how charter schools and traditional public schools are run and are accountable to parents and taxpayers, and the affect that charter schools have on the public schools in the districts where they are opened.”

• See related article: Prospective Montclair Charter School Applies To NJ DOE
• See related article: Montclair Super Opposes New Charter School Application

In addition to Fine, additional participants in the panel discussion will include:

• Darcie Cimarusti, President, Highland Park BOE, Blogger “Mother Crusader “
• Liz Mulholland, Parent Advocate and Former Special Education Teacher
• Sharon Smith, Parents Unified for Local School Education (PULSE)
• Mark Weber, Teacher, Researcher, Blogger “Jersey Jazzman”

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