Mother Crusader: Failed Los Angeles 'Education Entrepreneur' Tries To Make A New Start In New Jersey

Mother Crusader: Failed Los Angeles 'Education Entrepreneur' Tries To Make A New Start In New Jersey:

Failed Los Angeles 'Education Entrepreneur' Tries To Make A New Start In New Jersey

The latest round of charter applications have been announced, and as NJ Spotlight's John Mooney points out, New Jersey charters have become entirely an urban affair, with an ever increasing number of state and national Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) throwing their hats into the ring.

It hasn't escaped Mooney that this is a whole lot of applications - 40 to be precise - even though the last round of 38 yielded only three approvals. Let's hope a change of Commissioner doesn't bring a return to the early days of the Christie administration when 23 applications were approved in a single round.

As I peruse the list of applications, and compare it with the last years circus-like spring applications, this round is not nearly as controversial.There is no Pastor McDuffie laying hands on the Governor and no return of former Assemblyman and Washington Township Mayor Gerald Luongo, who served time in federal prison for diverting campaign funds and charity money into his own pockets. 

While this year's applications may not be full on Big Top material, there is one that caught my attention in the last application cycle, and has come back for a second try.

College Achieve Central Charter School

Mooney listed the application submitted by College Achieve as one of many "larger education management organizations," but College Achieve does not have a single operating charter school in New Jersey, or any other state for that matter.

In fact, College Achieve applied for a charter for the first time in 2013. But I will concede that the Mother Crusader: Failed Los Angeles 'Education Entrepreneur' Tries To Make A New Start In New Jersey: