State Approves One New Jersey City Charter School for September 2012 Launch Date
By Jon Whiten • Sep 30th, 2011 • Category: Blog, News
The New Jersey Department of Education today announced that the Beloved Community Charter School in Jersey City is one of four new charter schools it has approved to open in September 2012. The school will eventually serve 720 students in grades K through 5, according to the state.
The planned school takes its name from a famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr., who spoke of creating “the beloved community” … “tied together in the single garment of destiny” and “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” Rich Valdés, who works in the state’s Office of Family Support Services, lists himself as a co-founder of the school, and Jersey City assistant business administrator Greg Corrado is the school’s lead applicant.
“We are very excited about Acting Commissioner Cerf’s approval of the Beloved Community Charter School and for the opportunity to serve Jersey City children,” Corrado says in an email. “Our school combines the best teaching practices from schools across the nation with a commitment to provide our children with a supportive, caring environment. As the lead applicant, I want to congratulate my fellow applicants and thank everyone involved in making this beautiful school a reality.”
The approval of these four schools brings the total number of charter schools approved in 2011 to 27, the largest number approved in any one year since the charter law was passed in New Jersey. As we reported earlier this month, Jersey City is currently home to nine charters serving nearly 5,000 students.
“Charter schools serve a critical need in New Jersey not only by providing high-quality options for students where they otherwise do not exist, but also by serving as laboratories of innovation,” said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf says in a statement. “As we look to 2012, we are confident that these four schools, along with those currently preparing to open in 2012 and a projected large applicant pool for the fall expedited round, will help to expand the options for students and ensure that all students in New Jersey, regardless of zip code, are on track to graduate from high school ready for college and career.”
The three other charters approved are in South Jersey: one is in Camden, one is in Trenton and the other will cover the Cherry Hill, Lawnside, Somerdale and Voorhees Township school districts.
There is another application round for charters with an October 17 deadline; approvals for those schools will be announced in January.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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