Judgment day coming for new charter schools in Hoboken and elsewhere

HUDSON COUNTY — The founders of prospective charter schools should find out by the end of this month whether the state has OK’d them for next year.
One school, the proposed Da Vinci Charter School in Hoboken, has been the center of a debate in town. Its founders think it will provide an extra choice for the city’s parents, while some believe that the three existing charter schools in town are enough, and that a new charter school will take resources away from the existing public schools. DaVinci is set to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.
The decision on whether or not the Da Vinci Charter School application is approved is scheduled to be released by Sunday, Sept 30. If the charter, which was submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education this past spring, is approved, the target date for opening will be fall of 2013.
The Hoboken Board of Education passed a resolution at a meeting May 8 to oppose the application of the school for approval from the state Department of Education. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Toback wrote a letter detailing his strong opposition to the school largely due to the school’s selection process and the funding it would deplete from the district.
Laura Siegel, founder of the Da Vinci school, has said in the past that she did not feel that the board’s disapproval would impact the state Department of Education’s decision. Siegel stated in May that boards of education often oppose charter school applications.
To find out more on the Davinci School application decision, watch the school’s website or come back to hudsonreporter.com after the decision is reached.

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