Funding for the charter schools comes from state aid and local property taxes. If an Ocean City student attends a charter school, Ocean City pays. We're talking about lowering class size by one or two students a class. The New Jersey Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the charter law's constitutionality. Stephen and Georgina Fenichel of Ocean City have been among those challenging the law, saying it allows private boards to operate schools with public money but without public voice.
Every charter school begins with the best intentions.
But as reality sets in, the vision can become blurred. There was little in it the school actually did. Gone are four-day workweeks for teachers, with special activities on Fridays. Anne O'Dea, who heads the state's Office of School Choice, which approved the charter changes, said it's to be expected that not everything will work and that schools will make changes during their four-year initial charter. But with all the changes, the school now operates much like a regular public school, and public school officials have raised questions about just how innovative some charter schools are.