By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
RED BANK — After investigating the proposed expansion of the Red Bank Charter School, a Blue Ribbon Commission that was appointed by the mayor concluded that the expansion would have negative effects on taxpayers and students.
“After reviewing the materials, a majority of [Blue Ribbon Commission] members are recommending that the Commissioner of Education deny the Red Bank Charter School’s expansion proposal,” the report read.
On Jan. 27, the Borough Council accepted the findings of the commission, which called for the proposal to be rejected.
“I am ecstatic at the support of the town, council and the Blue Ribbon Committee,” said Carrie Ludwikowski, president of the Red Bank Board of Education.
“I could only hope that [Commissioner of Education David Hespe] listens to all this public outcry.”
On Dec. 1, the charter school applied to the state to double its enrollment from 200 to 400 students by the 2018-19 school year. The proposal prompted the Red Bank Board of Education to pass a resolution stating its opposition and Mayor Pasquale Menna to form a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate the possible impact on the community.
Hespe’s final decision on the expansion proposal is expected this month.
According to the report, which was sent to Hespe, the expansion request negatively impacts not only the district’s public schools, which last year gave the charter school $1.67 million in funding, but also taxpayers.
Robert Allison, who is the auditor for both the borough and school district, wrote to Hespe about the possible financial impact.
“In summary, I believe the impact would be devastating; even with maximizing the allowable increase in taxes, the district would have a four-year cumulative shortfall of somewhere between $1.8 and $2.2 million,” Allison wrote.
According to Superintendent of Schools Jared Rumage, should the proposal be accepted, the district would have to look into cutting programs such as sports and music, increasing class sizes and reducing instructional support programs for students.
For taxpayers, Rumage predicts the expansion could force the school district to again exceed its tax levy ceiling of 5.23 percent. Last year, when the school tax levy increased by 6.95 percent, it resulted in a 12-percent tax increase to Red Bank taxpayers.
The charter school’s plan to purchase a property at 135-137 Monmouth St. was also criticized by the committee. The property, according to the report, had an assessed value of $1,475,400 in 2015, with a yearly tax payment of $31,544. If the building was purchased by the charter school, it would increase the borough’s roster of tax-exempt properties above the 18 percent mark.
State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) has also voiced her concern over the proposal. In a letter to Gov. Chris Christie, Beck wrote that if the proposal was approved without “significant new state funds,” Red Bank taxpayers would face an “enormous tax increase,” and public school students would have fewer educational opportunities.
The report also mentions a disparity in the demographics between the charter and public schools that the expansion would not help to alleviate.
“According to New Jersey Department of Education enrollment data, Red Bank Borough is home to the most segregated district in the state,” the report read, noting that at the charter school white students are 52 percent of the population while at the public schools they are 7 percent. Hispanic students, which constitute 34 percent of the charter school’s enrollment, are 80 percent of the student population at the public schools.
The report also highlights a difference in the number of students who are considered “limited-English-proficient,” which makes up 4 percent of the charter school’s student population versus 44 percent of the public school’s students, as well as economically disadvantaged students, which makes up 40 percent of charter school students versus 88 percent of public school students.
The study also references state law that requires the charter schools to “seek the enrollment of a cross-section of the community’s school-age population, including racial and academic factors.”
“Based on the start differences in demographics between the two schools, there are serious questions as to whether the Red Bank Charter School is fulfilling this statutory requirement, and it appears that its outreach to the Hispanic community of Red Bank has not been successful,” the commission stated in its report.
The report also highlights the charter school’s enrollment practices, specifically sibling preference, as something that could “exacerbate existing racial and ethic imbalances.”
Red Bank Charter School students also receive more per-pupil funding at $15,343 than the public schools, which receive $14,359 per pupil, according to the report.
Michael Stasi, who was the only one of the seven-member panel to disagree with the report, wrote a dissenting opinion, which will also be sent to Hespe.
Stasi, one of the founders of Red Bank Charter School, writes that academic achievement along with demographics and the financial impact should be considered when deciding on the proposal. He also writes that there might be ways to mitigate the effects of budget cuts on students should the enrollment expansion be approved.
“One could argue that adjustments and cuts could be made without affecting the classroom environment,” Stasi writes, adding that a “weighting lottery,” which is already in the proposal, “will be put in place to better serve a disadvantaged, school-age population.”
The proposal from the charter school to increase its enrollment sparked a backlash from the parents of public school students. Before the Jan. 13 Borough Council meeting, parents, teachers and school officials marched to Borough Hall to voice their opposition to the charter school’s proposal.
At the first meeting of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Jan. 18, parents picketed outside Borough Hall as members made their way inside for a closed meeting.
On Jan. 20, the Red Bank Charter School held a forum for parents of charter school students, billed as a “Fact Forum” about the enrollment expansion proposal.
A public forum on Jan. 22 was originally supposed to include members of the charter school as well as public schools to discuss the impact of the proposal; however, representatives from the charter school dropped out of the forum, stating in a press release, “[The] meeting on [Jan. 22] would not afford the committee the ability to properly and appropriately put forth its findings.”