Dear Senators Cunningham & Stack, Commissioner Hespe, Governor Christie, and Assemblymen Garcia, Mainor, Mukherji, & O'Donnell:

As a parent, tax-payer and voter, I am asking for your help to fix a funding inequity that is crippling Jersey City’s charter schools.

In 2012, the State of New Jersey determined that $10,500 was the base funding required for an adequate education. Charter schools in Jersey City have been funded well below that for years, and in the next year our base funding is set at $6,900.  

There are more than 2,500 children enrolled in Jersey City charter schools and they deserve better than this. They deserve Fair Funding for All.

Who are we?

We are diverse: At TECCS, 64% of our students come from minority backgrounds; at Golden Door, that figure is 90%.

We serve all students: At M.E.T.S Charter School 94% of students come from economically disadvantaged environments. At all of our schools, between 5-15% of our students are in special education.

We are thriving: Students at Golden Door outperform 43% of schools statewide; at Soaring Heights, that figure is 60%.

How did we get here?

In 2008, in order to assist the City of Jersey City in meeting its “fair share” of the school budget, the state awarded Jersey City a funding stream called adjustment aid. Because local taxes are not sufficient to cover the school budget, adjustment aid for Jersey City is over $110 million per year. Yet charter schools like TECCS, METS, LCCS, Golden Door, and Soaring Heights in Jersey City and Hope Academy in Asbury Park do not receive a penny of the adjustment aid because of a legislative oversight.

What do we need now?

The time has come to fix this staggering inequity. Charter schools offer an educational alternative, save money through innovation, provide a laboratory for creative educational solutions, and provide sustainable education for all of Jersey City’s children. 

These charter schools offer curriculum guided by the State but emphasize different methods and content. Parents crave these alternate methods, as evidenced by waitlists and community-wide support. When charters were first formed, the law called for them to receive no more than 90 percent of the funding compared a traditional public school. In reality, in Jersey City, that amount is about 60 percent.

How can our schools deliver on their full promise with funding that falls so far below what the state itself says is necessary? Programs and retention of our best teachers are threatened.

We agree with the New Jersey State Constitution that all children have the right to a thorough and efficient education. Please help make that possible for all students in Jersey City and support these City charter schools reach Fair Funding for All.

Jersey City has the following charter schools: Beloved, Global, Golden Door, Dr. Lena Edwards, LCCS, METS, Soaring Heights, TECCS, University Academy.

 Cc: Mayor Fulop and JC City Council Members