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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Jersey Jazzman: Holding Charters Accountable For Equity

Jersey Jazzman: Holding Charters Accountable For Equity:


Holding Charters Accountable For Equity

Late yesterday, the NJ education world got the decree from ACTING Lord High Executioner Chris Cerf as towhich charters His Lordship deemed worthy of receiving a seal from his signet ring.

Despite Cerf's absurd contention that charters are "the most democratic schools we have," this round of approvals shows just how autocratic the entire system is. With little transparency and no local control - districts have to pay for Cerf's charters, but have no saying in their approval or oversight - districts like Princeton have had to set aside funds for the last two years while ACTING Lord Cerf unilaterally decided whether he would bestow a charter on a school located in the well-performing district.

To deflect from this absurdity, Cerf, good bureaucrat that he is, points to the new procedures and policies that he