Newark teachers union to storm city hall as charters gear up for review
Today marks the renewal application deadline for New Jersey charter schools with several determined to be the alternative choice for students of Newark, despite the city teachers union’s unapologetic show of disapproval.
According to a report from NJ.com, charters now enroll nearly 40 percent of Newark’s children. This stubborn fact has not gone unnoticed by the city’s traditional public schools. The Newark teachers union and its supporters will reportedly stand vigil outside city hall Monday in protest of charter expansion, according to Fox 5 News.
Michael Iavino, a teacher and treasurer-secretary of the teachers union, told Fox that, “as more students leave the public district system for charters so do state education funds. He says that is hard on those left behind.”
Out of the six Newark charter schools up for renewal, the popular KIPP charter school network is seeking renewal for its founding Newark charter school, TEAM Academy, as well as requesting permission to open five additional charter schools in the city. The announcement of its intent to expand was made Wednesday at TEAM Academy, which earned a “Tier 1” ranking by the state Department of Education.
Tier 1 is the highest level a charter school can be placed in, which is based on strong student test scores, graduation rates, and other performance measures set by the state. All charter schools will be reviewed under the state’s revamped evaluation process. “Tier 2” and “Tier 3” are the other levels used to categorize charter school performance, which will receive more scrutiny during the upcoming review process than Tier 1 schools. Newark’s Merit Prep Charter School is in Tier 3, while the other two Newark charters up for renewal weren’t placed in any tier due to inadequate Newark teachers union to storm city hall as charters gear up for review - Watchdog.org:
