Starting a charter school is a lot of work and can become a political hot potato. I worked as a consultant on the very beginnings of the cyber academy in the Minneapolis system way back in 1996.True, Minnesota was the birthplace of charter schools. Still, I'm surprised it has taken so long to get to this point in NYC where we are about to be considering a Hebrew charter school.
Ben Harris collates the news of a proposal for a new Hebrew charter school in Brooklyn NY.
It makes no sense that the discussion start out with entangling this proposal with others. Regardless of the politics involved, this school should stand or fail on the merits of its own making. From JTA:
Both the Forward and the Jewish Week have stories about the new school, backed my mega-philanthropist Michael Steinhardt and pushed by his daughter, Sara Berman, who is submitting an application for the school next week.
If adopted, it would become the second Hebrew-language charter school in the country. Ben Gamla in Hollywood, Fla. was the first, opening its doors this past fall. Like the Brooklyn Arabic school, and another Arabic school in Minnesota, Ben Gamla has had its troubles. Critics — including some Jews — have charged that it’s little more than a front for religious instruction and blurs the line between church and state.
But at least one commentator thinks the new school is protected under the Constitution. Check out Thomas Carroll’s take in today’s New York Post.
1 comment:
I think its a great idea, and I hope for the school the very best. Since we're a multi-cultural society, there's nothing at all wrong with spending tax dollars earmarked for education in a manner which fosters the heritage of part of the "boiling pot" of nationalities. By doing so in this intance, as well as in other areas of cultural diversity, we all benefit because Americans can experience the very best of every nation, race and religion.
(I'll bet you thought that I'd rant and rave about this when you saw my name but before you read this comment. You'd be right, though, since I'm ranting and raving in favor of it.)
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