Any parent with a child in a New Jersey charter school can tell you how important it is to have an opportunity to pick a school that's best for their child's needs.

But there are threats to that option lurking in Trenton. The past several months have seen various legislative proposals that would all but kill the growth of charter schools in the state. This would deny thousands of children the opportunity for a quality education.

Now is the time to make sure we work hard to keep that option available by inviting our elected officials, fellow community members and the media to understand the great value the charter school option is for our kids and our communities.

In my town, in Hoboken, N.J., hundreds apply for just a few dozen spots at our three charter schools. We need more options--not fewer.

In many communities around the state, well-run charter schools are producing great results for kids and are a vital necessity that must be protected and encouraged.

Parents who care about charter schools should look up a recent New York Times article about charter schoolsto see the type of misinformation that exists about our schools. The online comments section quickly filled up with readers who simply don’t understand--and don’t want--charter schools in New Jersey. Among the myths perpetuated in those comments were that charter schools are started by Wall Street investors who are making huge profits on the schools.

Those of us who know charter schools understand that in New Jersey, the opposite is true. Charter schools get more than 30% less funding per pupil than traditional district schools. And even if there were room for profit--state law wouldn’t allow it. It was a group of motivated parents who were the force behind the charter school I helped found, and we did and still do put in our own money, time and resources to ensure the school’s success.

Absent from those posted comments in The New York Times were the other side--the thousands of charter school parent voices who know day in and day out the value of the charter school option. The negative comments in no way reflected the huge contributions to innovation and student success made by dozens of charter schools. Those strides made by high-performing charter schools have benefitted kids, communities and taxpayers.

Our biggest asset in this campaign is our parents, and we, as charter school parents, need to step up to tell our side of the story.

To that end, the New Jersey Charter Schools Association can provide your school with advocacy training and support to bring elected officials and community members to your charter school so they can learn more.

If you are interested in leading the charge to get parent voices heard in your community, please contact Donna Siminski, Director of Policy and Advocacy, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Barbara Martinez is a co-founder and trustee of the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School in Hoboken, N.J., and a consultant to the NJCSA.