To the Editor:

Whatever happens with the New Jersey Department of Education’s decision on the Princeton Charter School’s (PCS) request for expansion, I truly hope those in our community that “vigorously oppose” the application bring that same vigor and energy to ensuring that the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) are transparent and held accountable for their past fiscal decisions as well as those in the future.

I hope my friends and neighbors first get educated — be informed about the real challenges ALL public schools in New Jersey face in terms of funding. Dig into the details. Understand that there are no easy solutions. Then I hope they ask some tough questions. Why is the PPS cost per pupil 40 percent more than at PCS? What about the tax increase already authorized by PPS — how does that fit into the equation? How has PCS been able to meet rising costs despite flat funding for the past 5 years?

Obviously these types of questions can’t be answered with soundbites or headlines, but they do need to be openly discussed. Ultimately I hope that instead of blaming PCS for seemingly any and all fiscal woes, our community challenges PPS to make some of the same hard choices that PCS has been making for years — all while consistently being ranked among the highest performing schools in New Jersey (charter or otherwise).

Allan Williams

Crooked Tree Lane