Contact: Nat Bender, nbender [@] aftnj.org, 908-377-0393
Newark Teachers Union President John M. Abeigon said, “It is ironic that the state is shutting down smaller community charter schools while encouraging larger charter chains to expand without regard for the community public schools that these entities will likely be displacing. Is this chain approach to education a ‘one-size fits all approach’? Do these larger entities take into account the needs of Newark’s children and families while they position themselves to educate the majority of the students in our district?”
American Federation of Teachers New Jersey President Donna M. Chiera said, “As the Education Law Center suit details, funding for Newark’s traditional public school students would be severely impacted by the growth of charter schools. While the Education Law Center has focused on economic justice, there are also serious questions being raised about the quality of charter school education when controlling for income and even racial status. This is one of many reasons we have joined the Newark Teachers Union and the NAACP in calling for a moratorium on the growth of charter schools to research and identify what practices work well and should be replicated and what elements are problematic.”
Find out more about the Newark Teachers Union at http://newark.nj.aft.org
Follow @DchieraM
[END]
