Dear Editor:
It seems to me that the guiding principle in Hoboken school funding matters is that every student should have an equal share of resources, both in terms of funding and teaching talent. Charter schools have reportedly provided high-quality teaching, but at the same time their funding certainly does drain financial resources that are also needed in schools that are largely populated by minority students. It is particularly important to assure the best possible education to break the cycle in which minority students are trapped.
Therefore, I suggest the following: Hoboken should take a census of students in both the public and charter schools to ascertain what percentage is in each category (minority or non-minority). Funding should be distributed in that proportion, so that every student has an equal share. Furthermore, charter schools, which I understand are agreeable to recruit more minority students should be populated with the same percentage of minority students as determined in t his census, thus equalizing the distribution of teaching talent, to the extent that there may be an imbalance of that. I emphasize that this distribution needs to be done based on the percentages of Hoboken school kids that are minority or non-minority—not on the basis of percentages of general population that are minority or non-minority. We need to support the development of all Hoboken kids equally.
Norman Horing