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| Hola Press Conference 12/16/15- Hoboken, NJ |
The Hola Dual Language charter school in Hoboken will be the first charter school in New Jersey to offer a low-income preference in the lottery in 2016. An announcement was made earlier today, Wednesday December 16, 2015. This lottery preference is not a response to the litigation that the Hoboken District has brought against our school. HoLa first asked for a preference in the lottery three years ago, well before the litigation was filed.
As you may recall, the original concept for HoLa in 2008 was a strand within the district, housed at Connors, the Hoboken public school with the highest concentration of low income students. It was only after the local school board first approved, and then denied, the program that the founders sought a charter from the state.
Our resolve to be an inclusive public school never wavered, and we have sought a low-income preference since 2013. Last year, the Hoboken District opposed our request for a lottery preference. The New Jersey Department of Education approved the request this month.
As you may recall, the original concept for HoLa in 2008 was a strand within the district, housed at Connors, the Hoboken public school with the highest concentration of low income students. It was only after the local school board first approved, and then denied, the program that the founders sought a charter from the state.
We are incredibly proud of our diversity and want to stress that at last count, HoLa continues to reflect the demographics of the city as a whole, including in terms of percentage of low income population. However, we believe that as one of many public schools in the city, we ought to help ensure that low-income families have access to all of the choices. -Barbara Martinez
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| Hola Board President Barbara Martinez and Freeholder Anthony Romano |
