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F. A. Q.'s about Greater
Newark Charter School
What is Greater Newark Charter
School?
Greater Newark
Charter School is a NJ public school. GNCS was established in 1999. After taking
a planning year, GNCS opened its doors in September of 2000 with 40 5th grade
students. Today, GNCS serves 170 students in grades 5-8. GNCS is open to all
students.
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How many students are in a class?
The class size is capped at 22
students.
Who may apply to
Greater Newark Charter School?
All children entering grade five
through grade eight are welcome at Greater Newark Charter School.
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How are students selected for
admission?
There are no tests or
other barriers to admission to Greater Newark Charter School. Students who live
in the Newark Regional School district have first priority for enrollment. If
more students apply than there are spaces available, a random lottery will be
used to select applicants. If fewer students apply, applicants may be accepted
from other districts (each district pays for its own students). Students
enrolled in the school have priority the next year provided the appropriate
grade is offered. Younger siblings of enrolled students also have priority,
provided they apply to the school when first eligible.
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How is the school funded?
GNCS, like all charter schools in New
Jersey, receives state and local tax dollars to educate the children attending
the school. Unlike non-charter public schools, GNCS receives a fixed amount per
pupil, and finances all operating costs with these funds. Since GNCS does not
receive any of the local bond monies for capital improvements, the school raises
money from individuals and foundations to improve its facilities.
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Is lunch available at the school?
GNCS offers free breakfast and free
hot lunch to all students.
Does the school have a
parent’s organization?
The parent’s organization at Greater
Newark Charter School is called PTA. The PTA supports the school by raising
funds and organizing events such as parties and picnics that build a sense of
community at the school.
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What is a charter school?
Charter schools are
independent, accountable, public schools of choice. Charter schools are given
considerable freedom in developing their academic program and organizational
structure, often bringing innovative new schools to communities where the
existing schools are failing to provide students with an adequate education.
They control their own curriculum, staffing, organization and budget. In
exchange for this freedom, they must maximize student potential and meet all
state standards. In return, charter schools are held more accountable for the
academic performance of their students than traditional public schools. The name
"charter" derives from the fact that schools are granted charters by a state or
local board of education, special charter-school board, or so-called charter
authorizer -- an entity such as a nonprofit group, government agency, or
university with state authority to grant charters.
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How long is a school's charter
valid?
Charters are
renewable performance contracts that allow institutions to operate as public
schools and receive government funds, as long as they meet performance standards
agreed upon by the schools and the entities granting the charters. Typically,
charters must be renewed every three to five years.
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Do charter
schools charge tuition like a private school?
Like regular public
schools, charter schools are nonsectarian, do not charge tuition, and must admit
all students, regardless of ability. Students can choose to enroll instead of
attending a traditional neighborhood school. Charter institutions include
elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as some schools that span a wider
range of grades, such as kindergarten through eighth grade. If the number of
students wanting to attend a charter school exceeds the available spaces, the
school typically grants admission through a lottery or on a first-come,
first-served basis.
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Do charter schools have required performance or achievement standards?
Yes. Charter schools
must demonstrate that their educational programs meet or exceed the student
performance standards adopted by the state for other public schools. They must
also, as part of their application, describe the student achievement goals for
the school’s educational program and indicate the chosen methods by which they
will determine whether students have attained the skills and knowledge specified
for those goals. As part of their assessment program, charter school students
are required to take existing state exams required of students in other public
schools, including GEPA exams. Charter school operators are otherwise free to
design, staff, and operate their schools whichever way is best suited to
educating students and meeting the schools’ contractual obligations to the
chartering entity. For example, charter schools have the flexibility to lengthen
the school day and year, offer a residential school program, organize a school’s
curriculum around core academic subjects or a particular overall theme, require
school uniforms or target students at risk of academic failure.
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Can charter schools accept
donations?
Yes. As non-profit charitable
organizations, charter schools can request and accept charitable donations from
private sources and additional government grants.
Why do
organizations and individuals start charter schools?
Most who create
charter schools seek to realize an alternative vision of public school
education. Others are founded primarily to serve a special target population of
students. In NJ, a pre-existing public school may convert to charter status in
order to gain autonomy from certain district and state regulations and
organizational requirements.
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Must
charter schools comply with federal laws and regulations?
Generally speaking,
public charter schools are subject to the same federal, constitutional,
statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to other public schools,
including No Child Left Behind, laws governing special education and the
provision of instruction to students who have limited English proficiency.
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How are charter schools "public"?
A public school is
defined as a school that is open to the public, funded by the public and
accountable to the public. Charter schools meet all three tests. Charter schools
must be open to all students on a space available basis, receive public funding,
cannot select students based on skills, ability, or past performance, cannot
have a selective admissions policy, cannot charge tuition, and cannot have a
religious focus or affiliation. In addition, charter schools are held
accountable to the public according to the terms of the charter contract.
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Are charter schools diverse?
Yes. Nationwide,
students in charter schools have similar demographic characteristics to students
in all public schools. In New Jersey, charter schools tend to have demographics
very much like the demographics of the districts and schools their students
would otherwise attend.
May a charter school be
religious in nature?
No. As with other public schools,
charter schools must be non-religious in their programs, admissions policies,
governance, employment practices and all other operations, and the charter
school's curriculum must be completely secular.
Who has authority to grant
charters in NJ?
The New Jersey Charter School Act of
1995 provides the commissioner of education final authority to grant or reject a
charter application. N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-4(c)..
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How many charter
schools can be authorized in NJ?
There is no longer a
limit to the number of charter schools that can be established. The Charter
School Act of 1995 requires a minimum of three charter schools to be allocated
to each county. The Act further requires the commissioner to actively encourage
the establishment of charter schools in urban school districts with the
participation of institutions of higher education. N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-3(b).
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