NJ Education Report

Peter Murphy at The Chalkboard speculates that New York State will be deemed ineligible for Race To The Top money because its charter school facilities funding is inequitable.

The same is true for New Jersey. Jessani Gordon, Executive Director of the New Jersey Charter Public Schools Association, wrote this past May,

Unlike traditional public schools, charter public schools get no facilities funding from the state. There are no bond issues for charter public school construction and improvements. Not one red cent has been spent for charter school facilities from the $10 billion New Jersey has invested in public school construction over the past 10 years. Charter schools finance their facilities from operating funds and fund-raising campaigns.

If Murphy’s right about New York, then the prognosis for N.J.’s RTTT application is equally grim. How quickly can Governor-Elect Christie push the Legislature to implement changes to give us a fighting chance?