It will be fascinating to watch the appeal process. I don't think the districts have anything to celebrate yet. The losers, again, are the kids and families who aren't able to attend the school and the taxpayers who are having to watch districts spend 100K on stopping a public school instead of using that money for instruction in other public schools. What a waste of time, money, and taxpayer dollars.

Critic Al Thinker....... This is ridiculous. What part of the judges’ decision is confusing to you? The part that the school districts have the right to inspect, approve, protect the children? If PIACS wants to "steal" tax payers’ dollars and the three school districts dollars, then it is ignorant to think they shouldn't have to be responsible to prove they are providing a safe environment..... which they have not proven. You know what the crime here is? The ignorance of PIACS coming to three successful school districts and "steal" public dollars for a private school mission. Charter Schools are wonderful.... where needed. In towns where school districts have failed to educated and prepare children. Not because someone has come along and "claimed" to have the answers to the future of the world. This is a private school for the few at the expense of the many. A school that will take 3 times the amount of per student money to cover. A school that has wasted dollars and isn't any closer to opening. And a school now that is wasting our money by filing lawsuits to re-direct the attention of their own failings. It makes everyone sick already. If you want to teach a private agenda, pay for private and open private and stop trying to steal public dollars. Especially after South Brunswick was named the 22nd Best Place to live in the U.S. by Money Magazine and one of the biggest reasons was the school district. Enough already!!!!

You know it is funny PIACS has wasted 75,000 of state funding but nobody in Trenton is questioning what that money has been spent on. Again taxpayer money right out the window.

Imagine if instead of suing and wasting our tax dollars, the PIACS organizers spent their considerable energy and resources on getting a grant, like this school district in Illinois did, that would enable all the children in the district to benefit from a language immersion program instead of only THEIR children?
http://barrington-il.patch.com/articles/board-of-education-accepts-chinese-immersion-grant

So the ultimate decision will be left to Czar Cerf (a pro charter ideologue) who can impose as many charter schools on a district as he sees fit to do and who can even negate contracts mutually agreed upon by the school district and the local teachers' associations. I don't think that charter schools have proved useful even in the big city school systems. The media hype the few successful city charter schools while ignoring the majority of charters that do no better than the traditional public schools and the abject charter failures. The charter schools that close down in the middle of the year due to some kind of malfeasance or nonfeasance are ignored. When a charter school abruptly closes down, the children must immediately be absorbed into the traditional public schools; this is a massive disruption for the kids and the traditional school system. The residents of a school district should have some say or vote about whether a charter school will be placed in their district. The charter school board is unelected. The chutzpah, hubris, arrogance and sense of entitlement of the PIACS founders is truly breathtaking.

Charlie - Steve/Winston is an entertainer. He's here to elicit responses from the readers to try and drive more people to the site. He is very well paid for this service, so argue at your own delight as he will always take the "opposite" of the majority. While your posts are very well written and tell a good story, his are more entertaining. His daughter benefits from the SB education system and he has no desire to send her to a Charter School. He knows this is a hot button topic and he enjoys getting under your skin.

Charlie - I Am Right (or is he really Joe/Frank/Chris/Charley/Ron/Bernie) is a shill for the patch. His job is  to post entries that support ultra left wing views and blind support for the democratic party and unions.  Upon reading his posts no one can really take him seriously. He has created this cartoon character to   elicit responses from readers to try and drive more people to the site. Although a devout communist and claims to be a 99% he is very well paid for this service. I know for a fact he gets tons of money for his efforts I .....I have seen his Rolls Royce double parked in Kendall Park several times!

People, I don't really care whether a replier is real or a figment of their own imagination. Every time someone makes any type of talking points, it's an opportunity to point out the difference of opinion. Quite frankly, we don't know who's real here either. All we know as a fact is PIACS mission is fake and their potential entry into this area with this school serves no helpful benefit vs. what these "chosen few" could get at a private school if their parents really thought the investment was worthwhile. If you want a private school education, go for it on your coin. PIACS who insist their "for the children" have no problem watching thousands of dollars be spent on their own lawsuits and dragging these school districts into the forced spending. They lost their suit, but choose to appeal. Stop it already. Parker Block and his band of the "chosen ones" is a fraud in what's in it for him and will keep on trying to create better fantasy than Alfred Hitchcock. He will try to prove the movement against PIACS is being created and funded by the school boards when it's the citizens of these districts that don't want him stealing their money from their terrific educational system that's already financially not in the greatest place because of state cuts.

Criminals? Stealing? Fraud? Where is your proof? The incendiary and slanderous rhetoric here is without merit unless you have evidence.