Opponents Question Budget Impact of Hebrew-Immersion Charter School

In Bergen County, a planned Hebrew-immersion charter school is drawing criticism from school officials in Teaneck and Englewood.

In January, the state Education Department approved a controversial plan for the Hebrew-immersion Shalom Academy Charter School serving Englewood and Teaneck.  The school was approved after being rejected three times by the state.

School officials in Englewood are pursuing a legal challenge to block the school, while Teaneck officials said in a statement they are considering joining Englewood’s appeal.    

Teaneck submitted two formal rebuttals to the charter school plan and has spent $20,000 in legal fees on efforts to block the school, the district said in a statement. 

The districts have opposed the school, saying it would likely attract students from private religious schools and add to per-pupil costs.  State law requires local districts to cover 90 percent of per-student costs. While exact enrollment numbers for the charter school are not immediately clear, Teaneck has set aside $1.3 million for an estimated 96 students in its tentative school budget.

WHAT ROLE FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS?

This report is part of a joint project between NJSpotlight.com (an issues-oriented news site that focuses on policy, politics, and community) and Patch.com to provide both a statewide and local look at the politics of charter schools in many NJ communities, and the tensions that sometimes arise regarding their funding in the age of budget cutbacks.

Statewide: Charter schools in suburbia under debate
East Brunswick: Questioning charter school's right to exist
Gloucester: A home-schooler takes on the school board
Hoboken: Can the public schools compete, by getting better?
Livingston: How many Mandarin schools is too many?
Morristown, Morris Township & Morris Plains: Unity Charter may be a jewel, but it's one with costs
Princeton: 
Red Bank: 
South Brunswick: A debate or a shouting match?

The school plans to open its doors in the fall on Williams Street in Englewood with 40 kindergarteners, 40 first-graders and 20 students in each grade from second to fifth, according to its website and documents submitted to the state.

Some officials and residents have also questioned if the school would serve a diverse range of students. The charter school contends that its program seeks a diverse student population and will comply with state education standards.

“We seek a broad base of students from all ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic, family, and social class backgrounds to develop dual language fluency and international mindedness,” the charter school says on its website.

The school’s founder, Raphael Bachrach of Englewood, has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

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