Newark Public Schools head Roger León is apparently calling for the closure of four local charter schools – M.E.T.S., People’s Prep, Roseville Community, and University Heights – and a ban on most new charter schools.
The four particular charter schools are up for renewal this year, so they have to apply for state approval to continue operating after the 2019-2020 academic year. Roger León sent numerous letters asking the state to reject the schools’ applications on the basis that the publicly funded, privately managed charter schools are aren’t serving their fair share of students with special needs while receiving funding that would otherwise go to Newark’s traditional public schools.
While the division between traditional public schools and charter schools in Newark has had a generally adversarial history, this move is particularly deliberate and telling of Newark Public School’s desire to significantly diminish the presence of charter schools. León also urged the state to deny “any and all” applications for new charter schools or the renewal of existing charter schools unless they serve “a specific educational need.”
Lamont O. Repollet, the New Jersey’s education commissioner, is expected to make a decision by Feb. 1.
