TRENTON — State officials are considering new rules that could impose greater oversight on New Jersey’s 86 charter schools after a year of increased scrutiny from media outlets and politicians.

The state’s Senate Education Committee heard testimony Monday from experts who urged lawmakers to ensure that existing oversight laws were enforced and, in some cases, to write new laws requiring more public disclosure and oversight in regard to spending and administrator salaries.

“Clearly, there’s some work to be done,” said state Sen. Paul Sarlo of the 36th Legislative District, which represents 11 municipalities in Bergen and Passaic counties. “There are some bad actors out there.”

The legislators cited a series of reports from NJ.com and other media outlets that took aim at charter schools’ high administrator salaries, allegations of nepotism, and accusations that some former school leaders personally profited from their positions. The Asbury Park Press also scrutinized a charter network with campuses in Asbury Park and Neptune.

Deborah Cornavaca, director of policy for the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, urged legislators to establish a task force to review numerous impacts of charter schools, to require more transparency and add disclosure rules for charter schools.

“When we see things that are going wrong… it is incumbent upon us to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being responsibly spent and that the students… are the priority of where the money is going,” Cornavaca said.

Harry Lee, president of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association, said that a majority of these publicly funded schools, which serve about 63,000 students, are not skirting rules, but are rather giving parents in low-income communities access to high-quality education. The schools are also improving academic outcomes for many of New Jersey’s Black and brown students, he said.

“In middle school, charter school students overall are outperforming the state average in reading, despite serving twice as many low-income students,” he said before the Senate Education Committee on Monday. “The longer you stay in a charter school, the more likely you will be able to read at grade level.”

While charter schools are given more flexibility than traditional district-based schools to educate at-need students, they also use taxpayer money in their mission. Yet, charter schools are not held to all the same oversight rules and regulations that district public schools must follow, according to critics.

“It is a privilege, not a right, to operate a charter school in New Jersey, and there are simply higher expectations (for positive academic results),” said Lee. “We stand by that, and we agree that there should be accountability for schools that aren’t doing the right thing.”

The flexibility given to charter schools is why they are succeeding where nearby traditional districts are not, he said. Many charter schools have adopted longer school days and a longer school year to achieve results, he said.

When charter schools fail to meet their educational missions, they are closed, Lee said.

“That is the ultimate accountability,” he added.

Since 2020, four schools have closed, surrendered their charter, or not had their charter contract renewed, according to the state Department of Education.

Asbury Park: We have no proof that over 60% of charter school students even live here

One of the charter schools that has faced criticism in the press is College Achieve Public Schools, which has sites in Asbury Park and Neptune. Michael Piscal, CEO and founder of the charter school group, made $516,084 in the 2022-23 school year, according to filings obtained through GuideStar, an organization that provides information about American nonprofit organizations.

Piscal also made an additional $279,431 in compensation that year from the school and related organizations, according to the tax documents.

For comparison, the average school superintendent pay in New Jersey was $187,737 last year, according to state Department of Education records.

A representative of College Achieve told the Press that administrative salaries have since between reduced.

MORE: Asbury charter school network in crosshairs of legislative scrutiny over high salaries

State Sen. Vin Gopal, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he expected amendments to New Jersey’s charter school law to be proposed sometime in 2025.

“There needs to be more accountability on how that (charter school) money is spent,” he said.

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

A drone pilot from New Jersey claims his device lost power and had to descend from restricted airspace, while the mystery flier he was attempting to examine managed to stay in the air despite a signal intended to disable it. The incident took place near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military facility in the state that has recently been the site of many unexplained drone sightings.

Michael B, a paranormal investigator and podcaster behind the YouTube channel, Terror Talk Productions, was probing a mysterious object he believed was another drone when his device malfunctioned. Speaking to FOX 5 New York, he said, “There was a drone just hanging out. I had full battery life. Not 3 minutes into the flight, I lost control of the drone.”

Michael B added he was flying his drone near Picatinny Arsenal when a warning flashed across his screen, and the battery died suddenly. “Drone started going down. Dead battery,” he said. Despite his drone descending, the unknown device he was investigating remained airborne, raising further questions about the incident.

Although it’s common for GPS-enabled drones to be grounded or forced to land if they enter restricted airspace, the exact circumstances surrounding the mysterious drone remain unclear. The area around Picatinny Arsenal has seen a rise in reported drone sightings, prompting an official investigation.

An army spokesperson confirmed that a temporary flight restriction had been enacted over Picatinny Arsenal, effective until December 26, following the recent spate of drone activity. In response to the sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also investigating, and additional flight restrictions have been imposed over nearby areas, including the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

The mystery surrounding the drones has sparked public concern. New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio recently called for a federal investigation and even sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, expressing frustration over the lack of answers.

Despite regulations designed to prevent drones from flying into restricted zones, experts suggest that some drones may have been tampered with or hacked to bypass such restrictions. A few days ago, federal authorities filed charges against a Chinese national for using a modified drone to take photos of Vandenberg Space Force Base, raising further concerns about drone security.

Even as the origins of the drones over New Jersey remain a mystery, John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said, “Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”

Amid all this, Laura Ballman, a former CIA operations officer, speculated on Fox News Live that the unidentified drones might be part of a secretive technology test aimed at detecting or avoiding detection.

While some New Jerseyans are ready to take down drones on their own, experts say it’s easier said than done.

Shooting down drones is far more difficult than people assume, said Joel Anderson, counter-drone expert and founder of a company called ZeroMark, which produces AI-powered, auto-aiming devices for firearms to take out drones.

“It’s considered shooting down an aircraft, from a legal perspective,” he said. “Our current laws are a swamp of complexity, and it’s just a total legislative nightmare.”

Shooting down a drone is illegal and violates federal law in New Jersey, as drones are regulated by the FAA, according to New Jersey State Police. If you shoot down a drone, you could face significant fines – up to $250,000 – and imprisonment of up to 20 years.

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden advised residents to resist the urge to defend the skies on their own.

“There’s been a lot of talk about shooting these things down,” Golden said Saturday. “I want to say this – please do not do so.

How to approach a downed drone

The state Division of Fire Safety sent out a bulletin to first responders that it developed with State Police and the FBI about how to deal with any downed drones.

They told responders not to approach any downed drones, instead they should notify local law enforcement, the FBI, bomb squads, State Police and local Hazardous Materials Response units.

Manchester Township Police released a statement advising that, if you come across a downed drone, you should not approach it.

“Leave the area and contact your local law enforcement immediately,” the statement said.

Calling 911 is not necessary, Manchester Police said. They advised the public to call the FBI directly at 800-225-5324. Tips, including videos, can be uploaded to the FBI’s website.

The quick advance of drone technology is bringing a growing danger, Anderson said.

Many videos on YouTube show Ukrainian soldiers shooting Russian drones out of the sky, he said. “But there are far, far more of them trying and failing,” Anderson said.

Inexpensive technology can allow an explosives-laden drone flying over an event to foil any attempt to jam it.

“You’d have to shoot it. But they don’t have the tech to shoot it, and they don’t have the legal authority to shoot it until they’ve seen one detonate” possibly in a crowd, he said.

Anderson said there is both a technology gap and a legal gap.

“If (drones) were weaponized, we’d be defenseless,” he said, adding that Mexican drug cartels have been using them to drop bombs on the military and police, he said.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-Manchester, said in a briefing Saturday he is drafting federal legislation to empower local authorities to take action, at the request of Golden. 

MORE: FBI investigating nearly 100 drone tips; NJ officials seek permission to take them down

“We know that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the federal government are solely in charge of the airways and drone operations as we see them today,” Golden said. “We’re calling upon Congress, and Congressman Smith’s leading the way, to modify legislation so that not just three federal agencies are able to have drone detection and de-drone equipment. This is a national public safety and security issue.”