Princeton Charter School Gets Approval For Trailers

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Planning Board gave its approval to the Princeton Charter School to set up a pair of trailers as part of its expansion plan. The expansion plan calls for the addition of about 70 students in grades K-8 to the school over the next couple of years.

The 66 foot by 28 foot trailers will be set up on Bunn Drive, according to Planet Princeton. They will be allowed to sit there for up to three years, with 54 more students enrolling in the school this fall and 18 more during the next academic year.

The state approved the charter school’s plans to expand earlier this year. The Princeton Public School District has been a vocal opponent of the charter school’s proposal, and earlier this year, Princeton Council passed a resolution stating its opposition to the school’s expansion.

As a result, Princeton Council Members Tim Quinn and Jenny Crumiller were asked to recuse themselves from the vote as members of the Planning Board.

Fern Spruill, who is a member of the Princeton Public School District’s Board of Education and a Planning Board member, also recused himself from the vote, according to the report.

The school district's opposition to the charter school's expansion has included a letter of opposition from the school district to the state's education commissioner and a lawsuit. Princeton Superintendent of Public Schools Steve Cochrane has argued that charter school expansion would be harmful to the public school district, but Princeton Charter School Board of Trustees President Paul Josephson has said that isn't true. He contends the expansion would actually help a spiking population in the school district.

Patch file photo