Friday, October 14, 2011

Charter School For Cherry Hill? Mayor Platt Says 'No!'

Please see the statement below from Mayor Bernie Platt regarding the approval of a charter school in Cherry Hill:

“Since I have been Mayor of this Township I have been clear and definitive when it comes to my stance on charter schools in Cherry Hill. When an application was approved for a charter school in 2006 by the Department of Education I was against it opening its doors and funneling local taxpayer money away from our public school district. Now the Department of Education has approved another charter in the Township and I am actively working in partnership with Maureen Reusche, our Superintendent of Schools, to oppose and appeal the approval by the state Department of Education.

Allowing a charter school to be erected in one of the largest, most successful public school systems in the state, and according to Newsweek the country, is ludicrous and bad public policy. This decision was made just one month after Gov. Christie visited Sharp Elementary School and lauded our school system. Now his cabinet member Chris Cerf, the acting Commissioner of Education, has chosen to fiscally undermine our schools to the tune of $1.9 million by allowing the approval of this charter school, Regis Academy, which would be housed within a structure that has been immersed in controversy.

As a community, we need to stand up for our schools and have a unified voice on this issue. Please let acting Commissioner Cerf know how you feel about a charter school undermining our public school system by calling (609) 292-4450. And for more information about charter schools and their impact on our school system, please go to the Cherry Hill School District website at HYPERLINK "http://www.cherryhill.k12.nj.us/" www.cherryhill.k12.nj.us/.”

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