Princeton Charter School has applied to the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) to expand its enrollment by 76 students next year, a proposal that Princeton Public Schools (PPS) superintendent Steve Cochrane has claimed would drain funds from PPS and ”compromise the quality of our students’ education.”

Noting that the PCS plan was “a complete shock to all of us,” PPS board president Andrea Spalla stated, “The unvarnished, undeniable truth is that the proposal, if approved by the state Commissioner of Education, would be financially devastating to our six public schools.”

PCS, in disputing Mr. Cochrane’s contention that the PCS expansion would result in an annual loss of $1.38M to the district, argued that their plan would help to address PPS overcrowding and educate those 76 students for less money, $15,300 per student as opposed to the district’s expenditure of $24,000 per student.

“With the town of Princeton experiencing a significant spike in enrollment due to new residential developments coming online,” the PCS response to Mr. Cochrane stated, “the PPS district has already acknowledged the need to expand its facilities to accommodate many new students in the community. This proposal, if approved, will allow PCS to absorb a significant number of the new students and give them a great educational option.”

In addition to its proposal to expand from one class to two classes in kindergarten, first grade and second grade and to add two spots in each of grades three through eight, the PCS application also requests an amendment to the PCS charter to allow it to implement a weighted lottery that would give an advantage in admissions to economically disadvantaged students.

Mr. Cochrane disputed the financial figures set forth in the PCS proposal. ”Contrary to what some have claimed,” he stated, ”under no scenario would the PCS trustees’ proposed expansion save our taxpayers money. While the district would have to pay PCS an additional $1.16 million in tuition annually for the additional 76 students who transfer there, the district will not realize any cost savings. Why? Because the school district operates on an economy of scale and most of its costs are fixed, not variable.”

Mr. Cochrane pointed out that, for example, sending 21 of 220 kindergarten students in the district to PCS next year would not alleviate any space or staffing needs. “If 21 of those students go to PCS next year as proposed, the districts’s class sizes in kindergarten may drop by one or two students, but we will not reduce grade populations to the point where we need fewer teachers or staff or less building space,” he said.

The PCS proposal seeks NJDOE permission “to make kindergarten the main point of entrance at PCS as it is in most schools.” According to its current charter, there is a staggered admissions structure with about half of the graduating class entering in kindergarten and the second half entering in third grade and two additional students entering in fourth grade. The new proposal seeks to “bring everyone on board as soon as possible to benefit from our curriculum. We believe that these structural enrollment changes will serve the academic and social and emotional needs of our students better than our existing admissions structure.”

Approval of the PCS petition would mean construction, beginning next summer, of three new classrooms, a larger cafeteria, additional spaces for special education, and possibly two extra “flex classrooms.”

The weighted lottery aspect of the proposal would allow PCS to give an extra chance for admission to students who qualify as economically disadvantaged. PCS typically faces a high demand of about 70 applicants for 10-12 seats available for new families for kindergarten admission. The PCS application cited further evidence of the school’s success in the 20 years since its inception in its widespread parental support, its students’ success after graduating from eighth grade and moving on to Princeton High School, and in its designation by The NJDOE as a “Blue Ribbon School” and a “Tier One” school, and its students’ strong showing on NJASK, PARCC, and ERB test scores.

Citing an urgency to meet the state’s December 1 application deadline, PCS, in its response to Mr. Cochrane, echoed his plea for the two entities to work together. “Now that PCS has filed that application, we can engage in discussions and work with the district to figure out how PCS can be part of the solution … to continue providing great public education options for all Princeton children at the lowest cost to taxpayers,” the statement said.

PCS Board of Trustees chair Paul Josephson emphasized the need for constructive collaboration. “Parents are not interested in us versus them,” he said. “We’ve been here 20 years, and Steve has been a great partner. We’re part of this system. We are part of the community.” Citing controversy on the question of expense for the school district, Mr. Josephson added, “This is a battle over limited resources, and when there are limited resources, people defend their turf.”

Disagreements on cost implications of the PCS plan, resentments over the unexpected timing of the proposal, and concerns over depleted resources for the overcrowded Princeton High School in particular, present significant barriers to cooperative collaboration in addressing the PCS-PPS conflict.

Ms. Spalla pointed out that the state’s system of funding charter schools “pits host districts against the schools. Their funding comes straight off the top of our budget each year. It’s unfair to all of the students in the district.”

Mr. Cochrane added, “The Trustees’ proposal puts the Princeton Public Schools and the Princeton Charter School at cross purposes. It takes from one to enhance the other.” But he went on to articulate a more positive prospect for moving forward.

“In a town that truly values cutting-edge public schools, we should be working with PCS to consolidate our two separate districts. This would actually save money and serve all students far better. It would also, in one move, help to alleviate the district’s space needs for years to come. We would welcome creative thinking about ways to combine our resources with those of Princeton Charter School to increase our collective economy of scale and to enhance the learning for all the children in this community.”

A decision on the PCS application lies with the state commissioner and the NJDOE. The PPS district has an opportunity to weigh in with a response to the application, but “it’s premature to say” at this point, according to Ms. Spalla, what PPS’s next step will be.