"There were some cases in the 1990s," the spokesman said. Some approvals were rescinded then, he said.
Since moving to Cherry Hill last fall, Solid Rock has found itself the subject of controversy.
In March, a man working at the church was accused of burglarizing five houses in the neighborhood. At the same time, the Catholic Diocese of Camden, from which Solid Rock leases its property, threatened to evict Khan for nonpayment. The matter has since been cleared up, the diocese said.
Now neighbors of the church complex, along with Mayor Bernie Platt, are fighting the charter school, saying they are concerned about the effect on the neighborhood and the township's schools.
"The things I've seen with Pastor Khan, I have little faith," said Rita McClellan, who lives close to the Solid Rock complex.
Khan already operates an approximately 85-student private school on the property.
But the opening of the larger charter school is essential to the church's plan to buy the land from the diocese, he said.
"We were anticipating the charter school to get additional income to carry us," he said.
Efforts persist to stop that from happening.
Last year, Turner introduced a bill in the state Senate requiring a voter referendum before charter schools are approved. The bill stalled, but a hearing of the Senate Education Committee is now scheduled for Thursday.
Cherry Hill school officials are organizing parents to testify.
"With the charter schools, there's no vote on their budgets. We don't know how their money is being spent," Turner said, noting that public school budgets are subject to votes. "There needs to be some accountability."
Contact staff writer James Osborne at 856-779-3876 or jaosborne@phillynews.com.
