Friday, March 16, 2012

Eviction Proceedings Started For Second Time; Will Regis Academy Lose Facility?

Camden Diocese Spokesman Peter Feuerherd has confirmed that on March 14, 2012 eviction proceedings were filed against Solid Rock Worship Center over the Holy Rosary Church complex, future home of the Regis Academy Charter School.  And this is not the first time.  An eviction lawsuit was settled in June of 2011 after Solid Rock failed to pay rent several months in a row.  This time around Mr. Feuerherd confirmed that Solid Rock is in arrears $20,000.


Adding fuel to the fire, I received an OPRA request today confirming that Regis Academy has yet to make the required corrections to the enrollment data that was submitted to the Office of Charter Schools on February 15th.  Lead Person Christian Barnes failed to provide the Office of Charter Schools with a district by district breakdown and instead just lumped all of the enrollment together.


Regis Academy has received not one, but THREE reminders from the Office of Charter Schools to submit the district by district breakdown.  Emails were sent on February 23rd and 28th and also on March 9th.  According to the NJDOE, as of today, the requested data has not been provided. Check it out:

No Enrollment Data From Regis


Between the eviction proceedings and the seeming refusal of Regis Academy to provide the district by district enrollment data as requested, it would seem that Amir Khan and Regis Academy are in a world of trouble.  


And it sure seems like Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf rolled the dice on the wrong charter application.  I can't help but think about how poorly the reviewers rated the application, yet somehow Cerf decided to give Regis Academy the green light.


And you wonder why I crack up when the NJDOE says things like this in a press release:

Under the Christie Administration, the Department has strengthened charter operations by:


Following a careful and stringent three-stage review and approval process for new charter school applicants to evaluate the quality of the proposed educational program, the capacity of the founding team to implement that program, and the need for the proposed school in the community. 


Except this really isn't funny at all and has very real consequences for the districts involved.

Cherry Hill has been forced to put aside almost $1,900,000 for this travesty.  And as reported in the Courier Post, as of February 15th, only five Cherry Hill students had submitted applications to attend Regis Academy.  


That comes to $380,444.67 per student.


Well, that seems fair.  

7 comments:

  1. It is shocking and disgraceful that this charter has not been revoked. I guess Khan is waiting for his big fat check from Cherry Hill before he pays his rent. Shame on the DOE for letting this farce continue.

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  2. Shame on the DOE - PERIOD !!!

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  3. Shame on the DOE and Governor Chris Christie.

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  4. I think it is time that the state fix, among the myriad of problems with the charter process, the requirement that districts hold in escrow the amount of money to cover the projected enrollment of a charter school - which seems to be a largely fictitious piece of propaganda often. I think that lotteries should be completed during the district's budgeting process and that the district should not be asked to hold aside any more than 10% more than the actual number of students enrolled by a set deadline in the late winter/early spring - but well in advance of the budget passage by the BoE. If more kids enroll then it will be for the state to pay, or they have to defer for a year.....but this is truly outrageous and it needs to stop.

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    1. Sounds like a good plan Deb! Or how about until we get the local control bill passed the state pays for the first year no matter what?

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  5. Deb, i think that should work...
    This can be said a thousand times "shame on the DOE"

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  6. I love Darcie's proposed solution. Has it ever looked like the state is going to attempt to procure local control or pay that first year?

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