appears to be a re-branding of school vouchers. while there is some logic to vouchers, I would rather see "equitable" funding of public charters schools first, before a "money laundering" exercise to provide public funds for private and parochial school education.

the public meeting this Monday, 1/31 at the Mary Bethune Center, 140 MLK.



http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerse ... 29619952159210.xml&coll=3

Senate bill would set up scholarship program enabling students in ailing districts to attend different schools
Friday, January 28, 2011

State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham, D-Jersey City, and her 31st Legislative District colleagues - Assemblymen Charles Mainor, D-Jersey City, and Jason O'Donnell, D-Bayonne - will host a community meeting Monday on legislation that would provide scholarships to certain students in the Jersey City school district and in 12 other under performing districts, which would allow them to attend a different school.

The lawmakers will be joined by educational leaders to discuss and answer questions on the Opportunity Scholarship Act, a bill that would establish a five-year pilot program to provide scholarships to low-income students in chronically failing school districts.

The forum will be held at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, 140 Martin Luther King Dr., Jersey City, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Jersey City Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr., NJ E3 (Excellent Education For Everyone) Executive Director Derrell Bradford, and state NAACP President James Harris are expected to attend.

The scholarships would be funded by corporations, which would receive a dollar-for-dollar reimbursement in the form of state tax credits; those credits would be offset by a reduction in state aid to schools. Under the program, parents could send their children to either a participating private school or an out-of-district public school.

The legislation was recently approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The next step is consideration by the full Senate.

JOURNAL STAFF