Hatikvah Files Complaint With State

Hatikvah International Academy Charter School has filed complaints with the state Department of Education and Attorney General's Office, claiming the township Board of Education is participating in a campaign against the school, according to a report on mycentraljersey.com.

According to the report, the complaints were filed Monday with the state, claiming that school officials were conspiring against the school with township residents Christine Rampolla and Deborah Cornavaca.

"The law clearly states that funding for our public schools must be spent on educating students," said Danna Nezaria, president of Hatikvah’s Board of Trustees, in a prepared statement. "Yet, East Brunswick schools officials, from a member of the board of education to an employee of the district, abused the public’s trust by spending our hard-earned tax dollars to help out private interests at the expense of our children.”

East Brunswick School Board Attorney Matthew Giaccobbe and Cornavaca both  said the accusations are false, according to the report.

"This is unconscionable,” Cornavaca said. “The leaders of a public school in our community are hurling out accusations left and right, making claims they cannot substantiate. They just keep flinging — and who is wasting taxpayer dollars?”

Hatikvah has already filed a lawsuit against the East Brunswick Township Council after the council overturned a zoning board variance permitting the school to renovate an industrial space on Lexington Avenue to serve as a new location.

The property owners of the industrial space has also moved to sue the council.

Read the full report here.

Editor's note: A prior version of this story stated that East Brunswick residents Deborah Cornavaca and Christine Rampolla are volunteers affiliated with the education advocacy group Save Our Schools NJ. Julia Rubin, a spokeswoman with the group said that despite their involvement with the organization, Save Our Schools NJ is not involved with Hatikvah International Academy Charter School, and does not take positions on individual schools.