ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ON MONDAY 4/29 AT 5:30 PM:

McCorristin Charter School’s Application was approved by the NJ Dept of Education a little over a week ago, and poses a major threat to Trenton schools. It could steal an additional $5M - $7.5M away from Trenton’s school budget, if not more. Trenton already has 5 charter schools siphoning money away from the public school district, and sending it to privately-run charter schools with no mandated local oversight or control. A sixth charter school could easily lead to an additional property tax hike, cuts to school resources and programs, fired teachers, etc - all to make up the revenue stolen by McCorristin.

Trenton Superintendent James Earle and the Board of Education have the right to appeal the Department of Education’s troubling and legally dubious decision. It seems likely that his counterpart in Hamilton, Dr. Rocco, will do so with his Board of Education’s support. We need BOTH school district’s leadership group to step up and speak up for the well-being of the children in their care, by appealing this decision. We need them alongside us as we fight to stop this charter school cash grab.

MEETING LOCATION: Auditorium of the Board of Education, Central Services Building, 108 North Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ

For more information, please check out (and sign!) our petition opposing McCorristin Charter School’s Application to the Department of Education. We have over 810 signatures already across both towns!

Petition Link: https://bit.ly/StopMcCharter

Media Coverage and References:

• Media coverage from TAPinto Hamilton
  

• ORTM Press Release
  

• McCorristin Application Documents (plus Dr. Rocco Letter to DOE. From Hamilton School District)

• Dr. Rocco’s Letter to Mayor Martin opposing McCorristin

• NJ DOE OPRA Responses

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MORE DETAILS...

McCorristin Charter School would:

• Replace Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy - the school would be forced to be secular
• Likely enroll most/all current TCPA students, using our taxpayer dollars to fund previously private school students
• Immediately divert $5 to $8 million from Hamilton Public School funding
• Divert as much or more money from Trenton Public Schools
• Have NO oversight or control provided to Trentonians or Hamiltonians
• Hurt over 12,000 children in Hamilton Schools, and almost 15,000 students in Trenton Schools, by removing critical resources and funding from their schools. In Hamilton, for example, that means removing funding needed to upgrade aging school buildings and provide a high quality education.

New Jersey charter schools are exempt from local oversight/control. They are governed by private boards of directors, who aren't accountable to local residents. That means millions of dollars diverted to a new charter school, WITHOUT any oversight or transparency provided by the Hamilton or Trenton Board of Education and Superintendent. Plus, research has consistently shown that charter schools increase school segregation by race, ethnicity, English language proficiency, class/income levels, and special needs.

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Hamilton and Trenton taxpayers should not be forced to bail out Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy, especially at great harm to our local public schools.

Please sign on to our petition, and show up to the Trenton Board of Education meeting to urge them to appeal the McCorristin Charter School decision! Help ensure that our local public tax dollars fund our local public schools!