By MICHAEL NUNES and KATHY CHANG
Staff Writers
EAST BRUNSWICK — The state has rejected a proposed enrollment expansion request from Hatikvah international Academy Charter School.
“I think it’s a victory for East Brunswick because obviously we feel we offer a very comprehensive education, and we didn’t think the educational offering of Hatikvah was substantially different from what East Brunswick does with the exception of Hebrew,” said Dr. Victor Valeksi, superintendent of East Brunswick Public Schools.
On Nov. 10, Hatikvah requested that the State Department of Education Commissioner, David Hespe, approve an increase in its K-8 enrollment from 450 to 675 students by the 2024 school year.
The charter school first opened in September 2010 at 7 Lexington Ave. Last year, Hespe approved a proposal to allow Hatikvah to expand grade levels from K-5 to K-8 as well as its enrollment from 300 to 450 students by 2019.
According to Dr. Marcia Grayson, the director of Hatikvah, the expansion is necessary due to more students wanting to attend the school.
“Year after year, many more students have sought to enroll at our school than current space allows. This expansion will provide children with the opportunity to study at a school where they want to enroll, but currently cannot because of space constraints,” she said in a statement made in December.
In a letter dated Feb. 29 to Laurie Newell, president of the charter school’s Board of Trustees, Hespe formally rejected the expansion request.
In the letter, Hespe writes that based on his review of the school’s request and public comments opposing the expansion, the school’s request had been denied.
According to Valeski, the district feels the expansion was not warranted based on information that showed that only half of the students at the charter school are from the township.
Data from the district shows that as of Oct. 15, 17 percent of students at Hatikvah come from neighboring towns, such as Old Bridge and South River. Around 33 percent of students come from towns as far as Franklin Township in Somerset County.
According to Valeski, the district gives Hatikvah around $3 million in funding per year, as required by the state.
Other school districts also expressed relief after the decision from the state.
“While it’s good news that the Hatikvah expansion will be temporarily shelved for the time being, we are deeply concerned that Hatikvah is a private Hebrew school posing as a charter school and continues to receive the approval of the commissioner of education,” said Frank Heelan, president of the Edison Board of Education, who also said that last year his district sent around $700,000 to the charter school.
According to information provided from the East Brunswick Board of Education, about 23 students from Hatikvah come from Edison.
“It’s outrageous that 27 school districts outside of the ‘district of residence’ — East Brunswick — would be coerced to pay the tuition and costs for their students attending Hatikvah. Parents of Edison students wishing to attend this school should pay all costs themselves,” he continued.
The Monroe Township Board of Education also echoed the sentiments of Edison and East Brunswick.
“Over the past six years, approximately $211,020 of taxpayer funds will have been diverted away from the Monroe Township Public School District to Hatikvah International Charter School that otherwise could have been used to educate Monroe students,” said Steven Riback, president of the Monroe Township Board of Education.
On Jan. 16, the Monroe school board approved a resolution opposing the charter school’s enrollment expansion.
