Blue Jersey:: Dear NJEA: You Break It, You Buy It

Blue Jersey:: Dear NJEA: You Break It, You Buy It:

Dear NJEA: You Break It, You Buy It by: Jersey Jazzman Tue Jan 10, 2012 at 12:30:00 PM EST

Last evening, the New Jersey Senate passed the Urban Hope Act by a margin of 53-3: The charter school pilot bill designates three failing school districts - in Trenton, Camden and Newark - as renaissance school districts. The bill enables one or more nonprofit entities to apply to the state to supplant the existing non-performing schools with a total of four K-12 schools. "It's permissive and not mandatory, secondly, and most importantly, this bill gives local control and input into this bill, and that local control is binding," said state Sen. Nia Gill (D-34). State Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-28) didn’t agree. "Amend this legislation to take the City of Newark out," said Rice. "We