NJDOE Knew About LEAP's Problems
Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen a flurry of reporting about one of the biggest charter school disasters in New Jersey, if not the nation: LEAP (Leadership, Education, and Partnership) Academy University Charter School in Camden. LEAP and its funder, Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, are now entangled in allegations of incompetence, cronyism, and abuse.
And yet, in spite of the many, many problems the charter has encountered, Education Commissioner Chris Cerf has given LEAP his blessing. Here he is this past October, cutting the ribbon at the opening of LEAP's brand new $12.5 million STEM school.
And yet, in spite of the many, many problems the charter has encountered, Education Commissioner Chris Cerf has given LEAP his blessing. Here he is this past October, cutting the ribbon at the opening of LEAP's brand new $12.5 million STEM school.
You may wonder how Cerf - the sole authority over charter schools in New Jersey - could have been so clueless about LEAP. The fact is, he wasn't clueless at all: Commissioner Cerf and the NJDOE had already