Bob Schwartz, Princeton
Both the Princeton Charter School and the district schools are assets to Princeton and are doing a great job overall, but the proposed PCS expansion would increase costs and further silo students in our town., After PCS expansion, almost all PCS students would enter at kindergarten instead of the 50/50 mix of K and third grade today. PCS would consist only of families who chose it from the very beginning (when their children were pre-K!), before even trying the district schools and seeing how well their child learns there. This would further increase the separation between the district and charter school communities., Second, the proposed PCS expansion would significantly increase the total cost of the combined systems to the taxpayers of Princeton. It would add to the expensive burden the town will soon face to accommodate ramping enrollment from the new housing developments., Our two public school systems should be working more closely, sharing resources (both ways, including special ed), and avoiding unneeded expenses and bigger tax increases. Both systems have a duty not just to their own students, but to the best educational and financial interests of our whole town., Bob Schwartz, Princeton
