Liberty Academy Charter School

I know first hand the dedication and excellence of the Liberty Academy teaching staff, particularly 11 year veterans Miss Corcoran and Mrs. Neustein, 12 year teacher Miss Munoz, 7 year teacher Miss Sarapochilla, and 7 year teachers Miss Caldas and Miss Brereton.. Tthe support staff does a great job: Mrs Byrd in the office, Faycal in maintenance and Pedro Rodriguez security. They work a longer year and a longer day than the district public school for less money. Dean of Students Edward Molloy is the most dedicated educator I have ever seen. There is a very solid core to build upon. It takes time. the school is now in its third site in just thirteen years and due to circumstances beyond their control has had eight principals the last six years.

In the early years the school was run by Mosaica Management Company and their Paragon Curriculum was not in proper alignment with state standards. It took time to adjust the curriculum.

Liberty has produced some great teachers. Miss Jadick was named teacher of the year in her school, district and Somerset County. Mr, O'Brien was selected teacher of the year in his Flemington school.

Hard working instructional staff led by a clueless administration (not including the principal). Look at the enrollment graph and the trend it shows, coupled with test scores and overall rankings in the state. They are virtually at the bottom. Staff morale is extremely low and the environment is not conducive to student learning and professional development. SmartBoards in the classrooms do not equate to increased student performance on state tests. Great tools, but when they are brought in to show off to others, and not provided to for the students who probably need them the most (Special Education), there is flawed logic with regards to your educational approach. As I said before, the teaching staff is great and would continue to be great no matter what school they were in. However, there is something to say about sucking the morale out of your staff on a daily basis. It does take a toll. Could this school perform better? Yes. Does there need to be a drastic overhaul in the Board of Trustees and CEO? Yes. Ultimately the success or failure of a school, especially a charter school, rests on their shoulders. Data doesn't lie, and this data is supplied by the state. Let the data speak for itself. Mind you, Liberty Academy is up for a five year renewal in 2013, so if I were a parent of a student, or a prospective student, I'd pay attention to the data and observe how the school is run, and not what you see on a flashy website, on a brochure or at a table at a community event.