Three kinds of public school
In New Jersey, most children attend a traditional district public school run by the local board of education. Two other kinds of public school exist alongside it: charter schools and, in a few cities, Renaissance schools. All three are publicly funded and do not charge tuition, but they differ in who runs them, who approves them and how students enroll.
This article describes the general framework. Rules are set by state law and the state Department of Education, and they have changed over time, so current details should be checked with official education sources rather than assumed from a summary.
Traditional district schools
A district school belongs to a school district governed by a board of education. The district hires the superintendent, employs staff, owns or leases buildings and adopts an annual budget. Students are usually assigned to schools by where they live, though districts may offer magnet programs, selective schools or limited choice. The structure of boards, superintendents and budgets is covered in the guide to how public school districts are governed, and the rest of this article uses it as the point of comparison.
Charter schools
New Jersey authorized charter schools through the Charter School Program Act of 1995. A charter school is a public school that operates under a charter, a contract-like approval granted by the state. It is run by its own board of trustees, not by the local school board.
Some general features:
- Authorization. The state education commissioner approves applications and decides on renewals. A charter is granted for a fixed term and can be revoked or not renewed.
- Governance. A board of trustees oversees the school and typically hires its leader. Many charter schools are run by a nonprofit organization, and some belong to networks that operate several schools.
- Enrollment. Charter schools are open to students by application. When there are more applicants than seats, state rules generally call for a lottery. Students often come from a defined region, which may include one or several districts.
- Funding. Funding generally follows the student. The home district sends a portion of its per-pupil funding to the charter school the child attends. Charter schools usually do not have their own taxing power.
- Curriculum and operations. Charter schools have more freedom than district schools in areas such as schedule, teaching approach and school culture, but they remain subject to state academic standards, testing requirements and civil rights laws.
Charter schools may still be asked to serve students with disabilities and English learners, and are subject to monitoring on those points.
Renaissance schools
Renaissance schools are a New Jersey category created by the Urban Hope Act, passed in 2012. The law applied to a small number of cities, with Camden among them. It allowed nonprofit operators to build or take over school buildings and run new schools, alongside the existing district.
The key differences from a standard charter school are these:
- A Renaissance school is generally expected to serve students from a defined neighborhood attendance area and not run an open citywide application process only.
- Operators were meant to have a track record and to present plans including facilities.
- The model was tied to the specific context of low-performing districts in the cities the law covered.
Because Renaissance schools are tied to a specific law and a handful of places, they are a narrower topic than charters generally. Exactly how they are overseen and how many exist can change, so current figures are best taken from state or district publications.
Points of agreement and disagreement
People often hold strong views about these models, and the evidence that is cited on either side is contested and varies by study, place and time. Without claiming one view is right, the commonly discussed arguments are as follows.
Supporters tend to say that:
- families gain more options, especially where the assigned school is not meeting their needs
- new schools can try different approaches and be held accountable through charter renewal
- competition can encourage innovation
Critics tend to say that:
- funding that follows students can strain district budgets, especially when fixed costs such as buildings do not shrink at the same rate
- enrollment may differ from the district’s in the share of students with disabilities or learning English
- governance by an appointed board is less directly accountable to local voters than an elected or locally appointed school board
- moving between sectors may disrupt neighborhood schools
Research on student outcomes has found mixed results depending on the study and the group of students. Readers should be cautious about any single headline number.
Practical questions for families
For a family comparing options, it can help to ask:
- How do I apply, and what are the deadlines? Charter and district application timelines often differ.
- Is there a lottery, an attendance zone or both?
- What transportation is provided? Rules on busing differ between sectors and districts.
- How does the school serve students with individualized education programs?
- What is the school’s current charter status and most recent state performance report?
District offices and school websites, along with state reports, are the places to find answers. Broader context on the education system in Camden is covered in a separate article, and this one is limited to how the models differ.
A note on terminology
People sometimes use “charter” loosely to mean any non-traditional school, which blurs important legal differences. Magnet schools, vocational schools, private schools and parochial schools are each different again. If a term is unclear, asking the school which governing body oversees it usually gives the clearest answer.
This is general information, not advice, and policies are periodically revised by the legislature and the state.