State Approves Princeton Charter School Expansion Plans

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Charter School’s expansion plan has been approved by the state, the New Jersey Department of Education announced on Wednesday.

In December, the Princeton Charter School filed an application with the New Jersey Department of Education to introduce a weighted lottery system that would benefit economically disadvantaged children and to expand in grades K-2.

On Wednesday, the Department of Education approved the expansion of Grades K-8 from 348 students to 424.

“All New Jersey public schools, which include charter schools, must be held to a high standard in order to ensure that all of our children receive the quality educational experiences they deserve,” Acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington said in a statement. “These decisions reflect this Administration’s continued commitment to hold low-performing charter schools accountable, while expanding access for New Jersey families to high-quality charter schools.”

Princeton Charter School was one of 15 schools statewide that applied for expansion through a process that allows schools to expand outside of their renewal. Another seven were approved for expansion under their renewal requests.

“Many parents continue to choose to send their children to public charter schools, and we remain committed to being responsive to their calls for increased opportunities for their children,” Harrington said.

The Princeton Public School District has been a vocal opponent of the charter school’s proposal.

Princeton Superintendent of Public Schools Steve Cochrane has said that if students transferred to the charter school from the public school district, it wouldn’t be enough to reduce grade populations to the point where the district would need to employ fewer teachers and staff members, but it would be enough that the district would have to pay the charter school additional tuition, under state guidelines.

It also wouldn’t help with the public school district’s growing population problem, as Cochrane has said the biggest problem is at the high school level.

Cochrane expressed his concerns in a letter of opposition sent to Harrington earlier this year.

Princeton Charter School Board of Trustees President Paul Josephson has said the charter school won’t be taking students from the school district, but instead help accommodate the growing population of students.
He also said “it is plain that the enrollment spike is affecting all grades at PPS, not just the high school,” and it will continue in the coming months.

“The Commission should be commended for taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach to our application, judiciously considering both public sentiment and the actual merits of the request,” Princeton Charter School Board of Trustees Chairman Paul Josephson told Planet Princeton. He also acknowledged the heated debate this topic has been at the center of over the past few months, and called on the public schools to join with the charter school to find a “legislative solution to the issue.”

Patch file photo