I dont seem crime being an issue at this location. I have been up there often and never had any problems.

Parents receive bus vouchers if the school is 2 or more miles from the child's home. Otherwise, not. I think we are 1.9 miles, so transportation is on us....and well worth it to get to LCCS.

What crime? The corner of Kensington and Kennedy Blvd is not exactly a hot spot of crime. It's busy during the day, as it is across the street from deli and busy drug store, and across Kennedy Blvd from a bank. There are several schools in the area. If you want your child to go to a specific school, parents all over take their children there, or make arrangements. Also, since JC buses, if there is not a school bus that goes there, the parents are reimbursed for the transportation to that school. (the reimbursement is not just for charter/public schools, but even private or religious schools.) It's sponsored by the state.

Quote:

WHAT ABOUT THE CRIME?!?! ?! ???!!

What percentage of students enrolled in the school live in downtown?

LCCS is working on bus transportation but it I believe they will have to charge for the service.The new facility is worth the inconvenience and by and large downtown parents will make the journey uptown.

Any word on whether the school is going to arrange for transportation to the new location? I don't see a lot of downtown parents bringing their kids to the new site, regardless of how much better a location it is.

Charter school buys own building

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Learning Community Charter School has purchased the former Academy of St. Aloysius, a move that will allow the Jersey City school to increase its class size by one-third within the next few years.

The charter school, which currently operates out of the Boys and Girls Club on Canal Street, purchased the 76,000-square-foot building at the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Kensington Avenue for $5.7 million from the Sisters of Charity Friday, said Shelly Skinner, the charter's director of development and community research. The Sisters of Charity operated the Academy of St. Aloysius.

The charter school had been looking for a larger, classroom-oriented facility for years, Skinner said.

The school's Boys and Girls Club location has no cafeteria, library, gym or auditorium, and some classes have been taught in old trailers, Skinner said. Storage space at the school is nonexistent. "We don't have a closet in this building," she said.

The new location - which more recently housed Caritas Academy - will give the school all these amenities plus room to expand enrollment. The school, which currently has 324 students, will add another 90 students next year. The student body will ultimately grow to about 486, according to numbers provided by Skinner.

In an effort to get their children into the school, parents have been calling since the sale was finalized to place their children on the waiting list.

The school was able to make the purchase through the aid of the Real Estate Advisory and Development Services Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps charter schools manage facility and real estate needs. READS helped the charter school acquire $6.5 million in funding from the Reinvestment Fund of Philadelphia and a mortgage plan.

Keith Timko, READS' vice president of real estate and innovative programs, said owning the facility allows the charter school to focus on education without worrying about rent or landlords.

"Learning Community Charter is an outstanding charter school, one of the best in New Jersey. For their next step, they're going to grow a little bit and serve more kids in Jersey City," Timko said.