STATEMENT ON NJDOE’S SECOND SET OF DENIALS OF
HIGH-PERFORMING CHARTER SCHOOLS

NEW JERSEY – The following is a statement from Harry Lee, President of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association:

“Yesterday, Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan, Ed.D., issued a second set of denial decisions on high-performing charter school expansion requests that are contrary to Governor Murphy’s stated support of high-quality, top performing charter schools. This newest set of decisions follows on a previous set of decisions last week by the Acting Commissioner that displaced hundreds of students currently attending excellent schools in Trenton, Newark and Paterson.

“These decisions are bad public policy and a crushing blow to low-income students of color throughout New Jersey. The Association will continue to fight for 60,000 charter school families and the 20,000 students on charter wait lists that want to get access to a great public school in every community in the Garden State. Parents’ choices on where they send their children to school must be respected and we will continue to support them to make sure their voices are heard in the weeks and months ahead.”

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About Public Charter Schools
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools run by non-profit organizations open to all students regardless of zip code, race/ethnicity or ability level. Charter schools operate with more flexibility than traditional public schools in exchange for increased accountability and high financial, academic and managerial standards by an authorizer. A “charter” is a contract with an authorizer detailing the school’s mission, program, performance goals and methods of assessments. In New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Education serves as the sole authorizer and oversees all public charter schools in the state.

About New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association
The New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association (NJPCSA) is the non-profit membership association that represents the state’s charter school community and, by extension, charter school students and their parents. There are currently 87 charter schools in New Jersey serving approximately 60,000 students. We are committed to advancing quality public education for New Jersey’s children through the cultivation of excellent public charter schools.