NJ Spotlight published the following article on September 8, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
GRASSROOTS CAMDEN GROUP APPEALS TRENTON’S DECISION TO ALLOW NEW CHARTERS
Save Camden Schools signals first pushback that administration has encountered since district takeover
Unlike their compatriots in Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson, Camden’s school board and community leaders barely contested Gov. Chris Christie’s move to seize control of the district in 2013.
Several even stood with Christie in announcing the takeover, and state-appointed superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard has stressed his community outreach efforts ever since.
But that relatively peaceful state of affairs may be changing.
A fledgling group of parents and activists — with the assistance of prominent statewide groups — has filed the first legal challenge since the takeover. Its target: state approval of two charter networks that plan to open 11 new schools in the district over the next decade.