Lead Founder of Proposed South Brunswick Charter School Addresses Accusations of Impropriety

The lead founder of a charter school proposed for a location in South Brunswick said the school is strictly intended to benefit local students and there has been no illegal activities beneath the surface of the search to find a facility.

An application for the Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS), which is seeking to make its home at 12 Perrine Road, will be heard by the township Zoning Board of Adjustment on Thursday evening.  

Lead founder Dr. Bonnie Liao said her dream for PIACS grew out of her experience as founder, principal and trustee of YingHua Language School in Lawrenceville.

"Years ago when I was working on Wall Street, I wanted to pay back the American community and I thought I could do that by helping with education," Liao said.  "That's why I left a fine corporate job with a financial firm after 10 years of service to devote myself to education."

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Liao received her master's degree and Ph.D. in the U.S. In May 2002, Liao founded YingHua Language School (YHLS), as the first accredited Chinese language school in New Jersey.  In June 2007, Liao founded YingHua Day School, later named YingHua International School, a full-time private school that offers a full curriculum in both English and Chinese.

"Only two hours per week of study just wasn't enough to reach fluency in Chinese, which is very difficult for nonnative spearkers to learn" Liao said.  "I started the YingHua International School as a full-time, non-profit and I was very fortunate to be surrounded by individuals who identified a good way of linking Mandarin with an inquiry-based curriculum to foster thinking and learning.  

"We have always really embraced public education and we didn't think it would be enough to limit our efforts to a small group of people, but we never saw another way."

In March 2009, Liao attended the first conference of the Charter School Association of New Jersey and said the event marked a turning point.

"It became clear to us that this would be a good combination with our teaching methodology to benefit more people, because there are many people who want their children to gain this type of education but they can't afford it because of the economy," she said.  "We looked at the charter school law and it says this legislation is to provide an opportunity for innovation, so the public has more choices and to raise the standard of public education."

PIACS was approved by the state Department of Education in January 2010 as a dual-language Mandarin-English immersion school that will originally serve students in kindergarten through second grade from the Princeton Regional, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional and South Brunswick school districts, three high-performing school districts by any measurement.

"We thought people in the community would want this," Liao said.  "I never thought we would face so much opposition."

PIACS was originally planned to open at the St. Joseph's Seminary on Mapleton Road in Plainsboro last September.  PIACS had a one-year opening at the location for the 2010-11 school year before the American Boys Choir would move to the site.  However, due to a deficiency in the PIACS application for a zoning use variance, the application was delayed and the school was unable to open.

"I felt like people were fighting us for no reason other than money," Liao said.  "People were saying things about us that felt very personal.  They look at us as the enemy and use scare tactics.  They were talking like we would take their money and run away with it, but that is so far from the truth about PIACS."

The impact of charter schools on state aid has been a cause of concern for the three districts, which like the rest of the state face difficult economic conditions.

South Brunswick school district officials said PIACS would draw much needed tax dollars away from financially at-risk, yet high-performing districts, in an area where there is no need for a charter school.

PIACS has about 170 students enrolled, comprised of what the school says will be approximately 35 students from South Brunswick, about 35 from Princeton and about 100 from West Windsor-Plainsboro.  The state projected South Brunswick to lose about $800,000 from state aid for approximately 75 students to PIACS, but PIACS cofounder Parker Block said the actual number will be about 35 students from South Brunswick for about $300,000 to $400,000.

South Brunswick is expected to lose approximately $1.6 million from about $20.1 million in state aid this year, after having state aid cut by $6.3 million last year with about $500,000 lost to charter school funding.  The money lost to charter schools this year comes from the approximately 150 students from South Brunswick who the state projects to attend both PIACS and the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School in Trenton.

"The opposition to our school has said we will only serve a small number of students pushed from private schools into this charter school," Liao said.  "Only a handful of students from YingHua will be attending PIACS when we open.  Everything we are doing is totally legal and we're not trying to push through any loopholes.  Our admission process is legal, all of our teachers are certified and there will be no public money that goes into the private sector."

The South Brunswick zoning board will hear an application from developer 12 P & Associates, LLC,  for the proposed location of PIACS at 12 Perrine Road.  The 11.7-acre site was formerly a storage and office space facility for a sporting goods manufacturer, a facility that South Brunswick district officials said is not suitable for a school. 

Former PIACS board of trustee member Helena May is the owner of 12 P & Associates and resigned from the board in March with intentions of having 12 P purchase the Perrine Road facility, pending zoning board approval for PIACS, Liao said.  

"There's nothing secret about what went on here because Helena worked hard to help this school secure a place and she recognized the challenges we face," Liao said.  "She made a couraegous decision to give her time and money to help us secure a facility. She made a noble decision that was not easy for her and took a tremendous financial risk because PIACS is a public entity, not a for-profit business.  For people to accuse her of being in this to make a profit is wrong.  We are deeply indebted to her for making such a financial sacrifice because she just wanted this school to open."

Liao said she understands that people would be uneasy about a former trustee being the possible owner of the property where the school could be located, but she said there is not some sort of inside deal and any contract signed would stand up to legal scrutiny.

"Helena will continue to be involved with PIACS because she will have a child in the school and she stays involved with her children's schools," Liao said.  "We are responsible by law to have a board of trustees that is held to high standards."

The application proposed for 12 Perrine Road is not only for a charter school, but also a private school.  Liao confirmed that YingHua would be the private school to move into the location if the application is approved.  

"I understand people will think this is a big deal and they will assume something fishy is going to happen," Liao said.  "This will help Helena pay the mortgage and she will testify at the zoning board hearing that this is being done to make this financially viable to the bank."

Liao said no lease for PIACS or YingHua has been signed yet for 12 Perrine Road. PIACS is also eyeing a number of other potential locations for the school.

"YingHua has been looking for a new location for two years and we're now hoping it can use part of the (12 P) facility," she said. "I know people think that means the charter school will subsidize the private school, but that's just their assumptions and it's not true.  Each school will be a separate entity, have it's own board and this is all legal."

Liao said it's her vision to have multiple schools in a community that she says will serve a public need for innovative higher education.

"Some people are not happy about this and I'm sorry, but they're welcome to join us," she said.  "We are a group of people who put a lot of hard labor and our own cash into this.   I have no doubt that children will benefit."

Liao emphasized that the two schools would be separate and there would be no favoritism or edge students from YingHua would gain in the admissions process.

"There will be no shared services between the two schools, everything will be official and we will be accountable," she said. "There is not one government rule that we are not following.  We have to file forms and report everything.  This will be as clear as any public school.  There are no illegal funds being transfered and these are two separate entities."

Liao said she would remain involved with YingHua after PIACS eventually opens.

"I'm proud to be the founder of YingHua and I will remain on the board of trustees," she said.  "For PIACS, I will serve as the board of trustees chair.  There are many people in the private sector who serve on different boards while they work in the public sector and that's what I'm going to do.  I was elected as the board chair for PIACS and I will carry out that leadership responsibly."

Liao said PIACS' approximately $2 million budget has not yet been posted online because it's in the preliminary stages and the school hasn't gone as far as to hire a principal yet.  

"Our budget is not some big secret," she said.  "Anybody can get a copy from the Department of Education or just ask us directly and we'll give it to you.  We just haven't posted it because it's not something that's been finalized."

Liao said the admissions process for PIACS doesn't have entrance exams, interviews or fees. PIACS web site says it does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or national origin.  Dr. Liao added that preferential treatment in the admissions process is not given to students from a Chinese speaking background.

"There's no test and everything is submitted online with an electronic time stamp so nobody can cut in line," she said.  "This school is for everybody.  People who accuse us of doing something wrong have probably never visited our web site and looked at our admissions process."

Dr. Liao said she hopes by addressing the speculation and controversy that has surrounded PIACS, the public will not rush to assumptions about the motivations of the school's founders.

"I hope people can keep an open mind and not think we are something that we are not," she said.  "Anyone interested in learning more can look online.  All of our board meetings will be listed online and people will be welcome to attend.  Our curriculum will be online and we invite people to ask us questions.  I live comfortably and I didn't give up a corporate job to try and take $1,000 here and $10,000 there of taxpayer money.  I love this country and I want to give back because it's given so much to me."

The zoning board hearing on the proposed PIACS location will be heard (tonight) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the South Brunswick Municipal Building.