chanel
Silver Member
Faced with burdensome mandates and diminishing returns from Trenton, one of the states top public school districts is considering a path that could make it the first to effectively secede from New Jerseys public education system.
The Glen Ridge school board will enter largely uncharted waters when it gathers at a retreat this month to discuss converting some or all of the four schools in the 1,932-student district to charter or private schools.
In a community where the average property tax bill tops $16,000, the idea of becoming a breakaway district emerged as word spread that Glen Ridges already small portion of state aid would vanish and that New Jersey might embrace a new cap limit to tax increases in order to encourage school districts to merge.
New Jersey will allow a public school to become a charter school if 51 percent of the teaching staff and parents sign a petition for it, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. That has never happened.
"There have been no conversions to date," said Beth Auerswald, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.
Glen Ridge perennially ranks as one of New Jerseys best school districts. Its high school students average a hearty 1748 on the SAT (out of 2400), and nearly half the seniors are in advanced-placement classes.
Diminishing state aid prompts Glen Ridge officials to consider converting schools to private, charter | NJ.com
Wow. This could be a landmark in NJ and perhaps across the country.
The school choice discussion has primarily focused on failing urban schools. It's very surprising to me that this might happen in a successful affluent community.