Education leaders nationwide are eyeing what happens in Newark, which is becoming a haven for innovation. And it’s not just the $100 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that has others paying attention. However, some question all this “outside” interest in Newark.

The reason for this attention is simple and complex.  Whether outside or inside- we all agree that something has to be done before we allow another generation of students to not reach their full potential.  The complexity is that we don’t all agree on how to get there. Charter schools, co-location, new small schools- these are not the silver bullets, but they are part of the solution.

This willingness to embrace a different way of “public education” comes with considerable opposition from those unwilling to ease their grasp on past practices, even though many of those have failed. The goal of the anti-crowd is to fight for the status quo — no matter the consequences.  The latest commotion relates to a school district plan that allows public charter schools to rent unused space in public school buildings beginning this fall. Even though such an initiative makes sense economically, logistically and morally, some are gearing up to fight to keep seven, eight or nine-year-old Newark kids from sitting at a desk in a Newark school.

The issue of public charter schools and traditional pubic schools sharing space is very often an emo tional one, filled with tensions fueled largely by rumor and innuendo. Many think charters are private schools, funded by the public but open to only an elite few. That’s totally false. Yet I hear it again and again.

While the demand for charter schools continues to grow, students attending a charter receive less funding than those in traditional public schools. Charters in New Jersey do not receive funding at the federal, state or local levels for facilities. That’s why the idea of allowing charters to rent unused existing space in school buildings is the right choice.

There’s something in the space-sharing proposal for the traditional schools too. The district would be paid for classrooms that have sat empty, but have had to be heated and maintained. At a time when school boards, as well as every other government agency are pinching pennies, the extra income should be welcomed.

The idea of sharing space has been done successfully in other cities across the country — largely because it’s reasonable and economical, and the leaders of the building come together to put the best interest of students first.

Newark students who opted to go to a public charter school should not be locked out of the city’s under-utilized schools because of politics. If the goal is providing the city’s children with the best educational opportunities, whether they attend a traditional public school or a public charter school, should not make any difference. Parents don’t care about the title —they just want great schools for their children.

Mashea Ashton is the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund.