Mercer Arts Charter High School seeks applicants

Those interested must apply by April 15

By Ruth Luse
   Mercer Arts Charter High School, a new tuition-free school, is seeking applicants for a planned September 2007 opening.
   Per-pupil costs for HoVal pupils accepted into the school would be paid by the HoVal school district.
   The school, said spokeswoman Barbara Taylor, "will be a comprehensive high school with an emphasis on music, dance, fine arts, animation and theater."
   It will feature a "rigorous academic curriculum, specialized lessons in the arts on site and a longer school day to include academics and arts."
   Those interested must apply by April 15.
   The school will serve Pennington/Hopewell, Ewing, Lawrenceville, Princeton/Cranbury, Trenton and West Windsor-Plainsboro at a location near "the Lawrence-Hopewell border," said a school spokeswoman.
   Interested parents can attend information meetings, as follows: March 3, 2 p.m., Princeton Public Library, 2nd Floor Conference Room; March 6, 7 p.m., Mercer County Library, Lawrence Branch, Darrah Lane, Room 1; or March 21, 7 p.m., Princeton Public Library, Community Room.
   Those who would like more information should contact Ms. Taylor at [email protected], or call 921-7698 or 216-4816.
   According to the state Department of Education, which approved the creation of this school, "a charter school is a public school that operates independently of the district board of education under a charter granted by the commissioner. Once the charter is approved and established, the school is managed by a board of trustees with status as a public agent authorized by the State Board of Education to supervise and control the school. A charter school is a corporate entity with all the powers needed to carry out its charter program."
   According to a Hopewell Valley Regional School District spokeswoman, the local school board "will be assessed the per-pupil cost of every Valley student that gets into it. We are budgeting a total of $378,114 for charter school placements next year. That’s $21,168 for two students (already enrolled) at the existing Princeton Charter School, plus $356,946" for an estimated 28 Valley students who might attend the new school.
   "The $356,946 includes state aid, so the actual tax impact of this new school is projected at $267,596," said the spokeswoman.