Charter school sues local districts to prevent interference with opening

Princeton International Academy Charter School is suing South Brunswick, Princeton Regional and West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional school districts to prevent them from interfering with the charter school’s opening. A judge in Trenton heard the dispute on Tuesday.

The judge has up to 45 days to reach a determination in the form of a recommendation of the lawful course of action to the state Board of Education. It is ultimately up to New Jersey Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf, who can choose to direct the school districts to stop interfering to prevent the school.

PIACS seeks to open a Mandarin-English language school. If opened, the school would draw students from all three districts. The districts oppose the school because the decrease in students enrolling in district schools would decrease district funding.

“The bottom line is they’re doing anything and everything possible to block the school from being opened,” PIACS co-founder Parker Block said. PIACS accused the districts of unlawfully using public funds to prevent the school from opening. Since being approved by the state in 2010, the school has received two extensions while it sought sites in Princeton and South Brunswick.

“They’re basically trying to run out the clock, because what happens with a charter school is that the school has a deadline by which they have to have everything ready, otherwise the state cannot let them open,” Block said. For PIACS to open in September 2012, it must have all of its paperwork, including a certificate of occupancy for the property, filed by June 15.

PIACS obtained a federal grant for approximately $80,000 in 2010. Since July 2010, PIACS has been privately funded by parents interested in the school.

“Like any large company or large organization, they think that they can run roughshod just because they have endless public dollars, and small groups of parents and educators just won’t find the resources to compete,” Block said of the districts.

Block added that some parents who were plaintiffs in the case had asked that they and their children remain anonymous to avoid retaliation from the districts.

“The plaintiffs are naturally fearful for the safety of their children. In fact, in my case, there were references made to my children and my wife when they have absolutely nothing to do with this lawsuit,” Block said.

The fact that the state board of education originally supported PIACS as a concept suggests that Cerf may rule in PIACS’ favor, Block said. However, he added that he believes political considerations may influence Cerf’s decision in an election year.

“We understand that the political equation may mean that they feel that they can’t have the political courage to stand up to the school districts, even though what they’re doing is clearly illegal,” Block said.

Judge Lisa James-Beavers in Trenton heard the case.