We don’t need a charter school
Mayor’s Message: Bernie Platt
For as long as I’ve been mayor of this township, I have been clear and absolute with regard to my feelings about charter schools in Cherry Hill.
In 2006, when the Department of Education approved an application for a charter school in our community, I stood against its opening, which would have funneled local taxpayer dollars away from our award-winning public schools.
Now, as you may be aware, the state has again approved a charter school in Cherry Hill. I want every resident of this community to know that I am actively working with Maureen Reusche, our superintendent of schools, to oppose and appeal this decision by the DOE and its acting commissioner, Christopher Cerf.
Simply put, allowing a charter school to open in one of largest, most successful public school systems in the state — and according to Newsweek, in the country — is ludicrous; it is bad public policy, pure and simple.
If allowed to proceed, the Regis Academy would open in the fall of 2012, with the goal of growing into a K-8 school with 450 students from Cherry Hill, Lawnside, Voorhees and Somerdale.
Each of those districts would be required to contribute hard-earned taxpayer money to help cover the school’s costs. Every single one of those dollars, $1.9 million of them in Cherry Hill’s case, would come out of the same pot that goes to the public school district. And unlike the public school budget, local voters would have no say in the annual approval of the charter school’s funds, just as we have had no say in the charter approval process.
At a time when school districts across the state are paring back their own budgets and working hard to maximize the funding they do have, it is a total dereliction of duty by the commissioner’s office that it would divert even $1 away from public education, let alone almost $2 million.
The taxpayers of Cherry Hill — or any of the communities affected by this approval — should not be forced to give their hard-earned money to fund what is essentially a private-school-style education for anyone.
The money our residents pay to the school district should remain in the school district, for the benefit of all Cherry Hill students.
Instead, by upholding this charter approval, Cerf and the Christie administration would force the school district to make painful choices that will adversely affect staffing, curriculum and, by extension, our children.
I don’t have to tell anyone who lives here that Cherry Hill is known for its schools. They’re a reason young families move here, and a reason they stay here. They’re a tremendous source of pride for me, our township council, and all who live here.
I should note that this decision is especially disheartening considering that, just a few weeks ago, Christie himself visited Sharp Elementary School and lauded our educational system.
But now, the governor’s own cabinet members, have chosen to fiscally undermine those same schools, to the tune of $1.9 million — an amount that will significantly erode the quality of our existing educational infrastructure.
The Philadelphia Inquirer aptly summarized my feelings on this issue in an editorial on Sunday, Oct. 16.
As that commentary noted, charter schools are traditionally thought of as an alternative in poorly performing districts, an alternative for students looking to get out of bad schools. But that argument holds no water in a district like Cherry Hill.
In this community, a charter school is not needed, and in fact, it will take away critical funding from schools that work, to divert funds to establishments that receive little oversight and are held to little accountability.
Much less, this school, the Regis Academy, would be housed at the Solid Rock Worship Center, at the former Holy Rosary Catholic Church, which has been immersed in controversy in our community for much of the last year.
As mayor, as a taxpayer, as a longtime resident and as a parent whose own children went through Cherry Hill’s schools, I am outraged that the DOE and Cerf felt it prudent to approve a charter school here.
As a community, it is critical that we stand up together for our schools, with one, unified voice on this issue. Please, speak up.
Let Cerf know what you think directly, by calling 609–292–4450.
Finally, please visit the Cherry Hill School District’s website at www.cherryhill.k12.nj.us to learn more about this important issue. Please, join with me, town council, and residents across the township in speaking up against this approval.
