Associations, Alliances and Charters, OH MY! Why I'm for the New Jersey Charter School Moratorium.

As I sit here at my computer checking for the NJDOE announcement that will reveal Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf's decision on Tikun Olam (last round it wasn't until about 3pm -- what could they be doing?) I am reading articles in today's news about charters in New Jersey.

In the Philadelphia Inquirer James Osborne details the problems with the charter application process and how the involvement of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers really muddies the waters:

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers, a Chicago nonprofit, had offered to fly in 14 consultants to lead Department of Education staff in the next approval round, looking toward overhauling the entire process.

What was particularly enticing was that the association could arrange funding through the Newark Charter School Fund, a nonprofit backed by the same philanthropies that support the association, including the Walton Family Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"The charter school office wasn't going in the right direction. You had the same people regulating charter schools regulating traditional schools," Cerf said. "I thought [the group] could help us."

The nonprofit, active in 41 states, including Pennsylvania, revised New Jersey's application process, pushing state officials to focus on in-depth reviews over bureaucratic checklists. In September, when the Christie administration announced its next round, the number of approvals was much lower.

But the group has become a lightning rod for parents and others resisting Gov. Christie's push to expand charters; they see a clear conflict of interest. At issue is the association's advocacy arm, which testifies on behalf of the charter industry and promotes legislation that would expand the number of U.S. charter schools.

Results of the latest review of applicants will be announced Tuesday.

"It's like hiring the fox to guard the henhouse," said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center in Newark, which litigates on behalf of low-income schoolchildren. "What [New Jersey] seems to be doing is bringing foundations and other organizations that support their particular education reform agenda. I've never seen anything like this before."

NJ Spotlight's John Mooney wrote about the charter law itself:    

The Christie administration is preparing to announce a new round of charter schools this week, but a big question remains. What is the state going to do about a charter law that even supporters are calling one of the nation's weakest?

The latest criticism came from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which in its annual report released yesterday placed New Jersey's law 31st out of 42nd overall. It cited the lack of strong accountability measures tied to performance, weak funding, and limited approval and review process.

Charter supporters and critics alike agree that the current law, not to mention the state's capacity to enforce it, has grown increasingly inadequate. Among the variety of bills to strengthen it is one that would increase the number of authorizers that can review, approve, and monitor new charters.

Another that charter supporters don’t particularly like would allow local communities vote on whether a charter can be approved.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Education is expected to announce a new class of charters later this week, drawing from an original applicant pool of more than 40, which is sure to rekindle the debate about the merits of charters in general.

Let's not forget that as I detailed in an earlier post, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and the New Jersey Charter Schools Association are ALL FUNDED by the Walton Foundation.  The big money is all coming from the same place with the same message.  Squash local control.  The guys with the money are in charge, and they can tell us how to run our schools.  Even schools like mine that are running just fine, thank you very much.

So, let's look at two statements in these articles.  First, the quote from Education Law Center's David Sciarra:

"What [New Jersey] seems to be doing is bringing foundations and other organizations that support their particular education reform agenda. I've never seen anything like this before."

And from John Mooney:

Meanwhile, the state Department of Education is expected to announce a new class of charters later this week, drawing from an original applicant pool of more than 40, which is sure to rekindle the debate about the merits of charters in general.

Kind of makes you wonder who's running the show, and what this push for charters is really all about when as a state we are still debating the merits of charters in general.  

Jersey Jazzman has not only been calling on Acting Commissioner Cerf to release his long overdue Charter School Report, he has called for a moratorium on charters until it is released.  

He is not alone.  

Loretta Weinberg called for a moratorium in the wake of the outrage over the $15.4M bill sent to the Teaneck Public Schools for the Garden State Virtual Charter School.  That application became so toxic the New Jersey Department of Education had to invent a brand new "first cut" in the process to squelch the uprising against it.  That didn't stop Teaneck residents from Occupying the NJDOE four days later.  Districts are starting to wise up.  They know that charter applications come back time and time again.  A denial is not the end of the threat to a district.  

This first cut has now been built into the process.  The next round of applications will hit the desks of superintendents around the state on April 2, 2012 and the backlash against unwanted charters will begin anew.  Applicants (and the public?) will find out on May 1, 2012 if applications will move on to a "full review."  No doubt this step is being added in order to put out any other huge fires that may arise.  But again, districts are now learning from one another and banding together. 

It is also notable that NJDOE seems to be making this up as they go along.  Each round of charter applications seem to be subject to a new and different review process.  We only know this because the NJDOE was forced to reveal their process after OPRA requests and lawsuits from the ELC, ACLU-NJ and Senator Nia Gill.

Stan Karp of the Education Law Center and all around awesome guy also called for a moratorium in a speech he gave at a recent rally in Maplewood to oppose the Hua Mei Charter School.  His reasons are well thought out an sensible:

It’s time for a moratorium on opening all new charters in New Jersey until, as Assemblywoman Mila Jasey has called for, we have an independent assessment of their performance and their impact, and until we have a more democratic process that includes local approval and participation in setting charter school policy.

Until...

1. LOCAL DISTRICTS get a say in what happens to their schools 
2. We take a look at some real data as to how the charters that are already up and running are doing.
3. These National and State Associations and Alliances and the big money they represent back off and let the PEOPLE OF NEW JERSEY decide what makes sense in our state
4. The New Jersey Charter School Program Act of 1995 gets a much needed overhaul which includes the input of groups like the Education Law Center and Save Our Schools NJ, not the aforementioned Associations and Alliances

...I'm with Jersey Jazzman, Senator Weinberg and Stan Karp.  I say we end this.  Now.  It's time for the New Jersey Charter School Moratorium.  Say it with me.  No new applications on April 2nd.