Response to Tom Moran’s column dated February 13th re charter school expansion – InsiderNJ

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Tom Moran has it all wrong.

Charter schools should not be expanded.  A gradual phasing out is more in order.  Charter schools have created a caste within a caste in the inner cities.

Charter schools reflect an effort to wall off those who remain in the public school system as inferior – resulting in a segregated society that creates inequality.  For public education to remain truly “public”,  fix it don’t rape it.

State supported private academies are not a substitute for a strong public school system.  Charters, to make themselves appear superior to the public school system, skim off the brighter students, and exclude those with special needs, while the state has the obligation and the duty to educate all comers.  To tout charter schools and to denigrate inner city public schools, dedicated public school teachers and their unions, is an easy cop out.

Instead, the sole focus on the part of our governmental leaders must be the challenge to improve and integrate New Jersey’s public schools, not to diminish the public education system by supporting charters.  With adequate funding, a focus on early childhood development and magnet schools, parents who now opt to send their children to charters will gladly return them to the public schools system. Charters will wither away.

Governor Murphy is on the right track. Mr. Moran, not so much.

Very Truly Yours,

/s/ Joel L. Shain

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­                                                          Joel L. Shain

A proud alumnus of the City of

Orange public school system