Content about Alternative education

On Thursday evening, the South Brunswick Zoning Board began hearing testimony on the engineering plans and traffic study for the new zoning application of the Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS). PIACS withdrew a previous application and is applying again, now that the property on 12 Perrine Road in Monmouth Junction will reportedly no longer be shared with the YingHua International private school.

For the second time in three months, South Brunswick zoning officials have postponed their decision on a site plan for the Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS), citing lack of documents submitted by the Mandarin language-immersion school.

A Task Force report unveiled last month by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recommends making student test performance an important criterion in teacher evaluation. While that would reflect well on Princeton teachers, it runs counter to the approach adopted by Princeton Regional Schools. Princeton Charter School, on the other hand, has expressed measured support for Christie’s reforms.

The Princeton Board of Education hosted a public forum on Tuesday night at John Witherspoon Middle School to discuss innovative ways to reduce district spending.  Due to reductions in state aid the district may face a $2 million budget shortage in the upcoming year.   The Board of Education intends to factor the community’s cost-cutting suggestions into its budget, which will be drafted within the next two weeks.    

After having its opening this past fall delayed by legal technicalities, the status of Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS) remains uncertain, with its founders still at loggerheads with the surrounding public school districts.