Chalkbeat

Bilingual program to launch at Malcolm X Shabazz to serve Newark’s growing population of English learners

2024-02-05T11:00:00+00:00

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A new bilingual education program will launch in the South Ward this fall to help Newark’s growing population of English language learners access services closer to where they live.

High school students learning English as a second language will be eligible to enroll in the new program next school year at Malcolm X Shabazz High School, where concerns over declining enrollment, student performance, and safety challenges have remained in recent years. The program will start with ninth and 10th graders and then add one grade per year.

The new program comes as the district’s enrollment grows amid the latest influx of immigrants to New Jersey. It also comes almost three years after the district agreed to overhaul services for English language learners as part of a settlement following a years long investigation by federal officials.

More than 10,000 students – a quarter of the city’s public school enrollment – are English language learners, district officials said.

The new program at Shabazz will offer South Ward high school students learning English the option to receive services near home, according to Superintendent Roger León, who announced the new program at a recent school board meeting.

“There are students that live in the South Ward that take two or three buses to get to Eastside or Barringer High School because they’re in a bilingual Spanish program,” León said.

Currently, South Ward high schools offer no programs for English language learners, León said.

The program previously existed at Shabazz but was removed under state control of the district, according to district spokeswoman Nancy Deering. Since León was appointed to the board in 2018, when local control was reinstated, the district has added an engineering academy, cosmetology program, and an aviation program to the school as part of the district’s high school redesign strategy.

Last school year, 272 students attended Shabazz and less than 2% were English language learners, according to 2022-23 state data.

The district’s English learners include a mix of students born in the country and abroad. Most speak Spanish or Portuguese, although some speak Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, or other languages.

With the influx of second-language learners in the district, officials are also wrestling with a shortage of bilingual teachers who can communicate in different languages.

During a January school board meeting, board member Vereliz Santana said the new program at Shabazz would alleviate some of the staffing pressures at Eastside and Barringer high schools. Barringer has “the highest number of bilingual and ESL vacancies,” she said.

“It’s a student population that we’re committed to serving and to educate and we’re rising to the challenge,” Santana said.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a nearly four-year investigation that found “wide-ranging failures” in the district’s English language program, officials said. The department’s civil rights division launched the investigation when the state still operated the Newark school system and in response to a complaint that the district was failing to properly serve English learners.

As part of a settlement agreement with federal officials, Newark agreed to overhaul how it serves English learners, but León has shared few details about plans to expand bilingual education districtwide.

In 2022, the Newark school board approved a 15-page resolution that restated the district’s responsibilities to meet the needs of students learning English as mandated by state and federal laws, such as screening students to identify English learners and providing teachers of English learners with relevant professional development opportunities.

Teachers and students are also grappling with the challenges of having English language learners in classrooms where there’s little support.

Sani Scott, a junior at Central High School, during the board meeting in January, said it’s tough to communicate with her bilingual classmates in her history class, and teachers are often stuck translating lessons and notes for students – “a process that takes up to at least 10 minutes of class time.”

Bilingual students “don’t get the proper education they deserve because they’re so busy trying to translate everything just to keep up with us,” Scott said. “That keeps them isolated and makes their social groups very small because of the language barrier.”

Yvette Jordan, chair of the Newark Education Workers Caucus, said at January’s board meeting that teachers aren’t getting enough support to help bilingual students. Teachers have to use their prep time to translate materials, which puts a strain on their time to plan lessons, Jordan said.

She read a statement from one of her Latina students who feels insecure because her classmates don’t understand her: “I don’t know if they are making fun of us, because they don’t understand me or my friends, and I feel bad.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools considers new AI tutor chatbot for districtwide use after pilot testing

2024-05-13T10:00:00+00:00

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Newark Public Schools wants to see a districtwide expansion of an artificial intelligence tutoring tool after it was piloted at First Avenue School last year, as the district searches for ways to help students catch up from pandemic learning loss.

The district was among the first in the country to test the chatbot called Khanmigo, an AI program developed by online learning giant Khan Academy that is designed for classrooms and acts as a tutor for students and an assistant for teachers. The Newark Board of Education in March approved a data-sharing agreement with Khan Academy to study whether the tool was effective “in the North Ward schools,” according to the agreement. In an email to Chalkbeat Newark on Thursday from Superintendent Roger León, district officials confirmed they are looking to expand the use of the program districtwide.

Khanmigo is still in its pilot phase but is designed to guide students as they progress through lessons and ask questions like a human tutor would, according to Khan Academy spokesperson Barb Kunz. It can also assist teachers with tasks such as planning lessons, tailoring instruction, creating texts and images, and providing recommendations on what students could work on next.

Khanmigo was launched last year in grades 5-8 and used in core content areas, which are typically math, reading, writing, and science, according to the district. The district is monitoring its implementation but has not said how Khanmigo is used in classrooms, what students and teachers think about the tool, or why there is a need for it in Newark. During March’s school board meeting, León said the agreement with Khan Academy is “all too very important work and everyone across the country is trying to figure out how to move the program.”

“The strategy here is not to do it in any one school only,” León added. “This is a program that we are piloting and then it will flourish.”

So far, there has been little research on whether such tools are effective in helping students regain lost ground. Experts also say districts should be clear about their goals in using AI tools like Khanmigo and learn from teachers and students as they use new platforms.

How does Khanmigo work?

Khanmigo, powered by ChatGPT technology, includes features meant to help students work through math and science problems, analyze text, chat with historical figures, navigate college admissions, and revise essays, among other features. It is also designed to help teachers create instructions for assignments and review student performance.

As part of the district’s data-sharing agreement with Khan Academy, researchers will analyze state testing data to determine how using Khan Academy is associated with student growth and achievement. The initial pilot testing for the tool ended in June 2023 and was offered at no cost to the district, Newark Public Schools officials said last week.

Newark is one of 53 school districts across the country to pilot the tool, which is accessed through Khan Academy’s website rather than a separate app. First Avenue Students can access Khanmigo to get hints for solving challenging math problems or explain concepts they find confusing across all subjects. The chatbot can also guide students in exploring topics they’re interested in or exploring new ones.

But one thing it can’t do is give students the answers, according to Khan Academy’s website.

This isn’t the first time Newark has considered a new classroom tool to improve student learning. Over 40 educational platforms are being used by the district, according to a January committee report. An infusion of COVID relief dollars into Newark schools became the district’s “saving grace” in expanding summer programs and tutoring initiatives in 2023, León said last year.

After the pandemic, city, district, and community leaders sounded the alarm about the need to provide more support to improve student achievement. Student performance in math and English language arts on spring state test scores in 2023 went up by 2 percentage points from the prior year, highlighting slow academic recovery after the pandemic. That required more than 10,000 public school students to attend summer school in 2023 – double the number from the year before. District leaders also developed plans in science and English language arts that focus on new approaches to learning to boost student achievement.

Next school year’s budget includes a $6.8 million increase in tutoring efforts previously covered by American Rescue Plan funds, but few details have been shared about the district’s plan to potentially pay for the Khanmigo program districtwide. The price for school districts to use Khanmigo starts at $35 per student for the school year. There are also discounts for schools and districts with a high number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Other districts that piloted the tool are also looking to expand the program by using grants or other funding sources. Palm Beach County Schools in Florida is receiving up to $2 million from the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation for the use of the platform through June 2025.

Last Friday, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates visited First Avenue School to see the implementation of Khanmigo in classrooms. In 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed $12 million to Khan Academy to support the continued development of the organization in grades 3-12 math. (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a Chalkbeat funder. Learn more about our funding here.)

Experts say more research is needed to evaluate AI in education

Computer programs powered by artificial intelligence have been around in recent decades but applications such as Khanmigo, which learn from students engaging with it, are new and growing quickly as technology develops, said Amanda Neitzel, a director at ProvenTutoring, an initiative at John Hopkins University that helps schools choose evidence-based tutoring programs.

Kunz says Khanmigo is “still very much in the early days of AI” and Khan Academy is helping K-12 school district partners “understand, explore, and use these tools.”

So far, there have been errors in how Khanmigo solves basic math problems, which Kunz said they have since fixed. Teachers and students across pilot districts have also said the tool occasionally offers too much help and was too available, especially when students were taking assessments such as quizzes and course challenges, Kunz said.

Khan Academy changed the prompts to better align with a “socratic tutor,” a tutoring approach that involves a dialogue between teacher and students, and made Khanmigo unavailable when students complete assessments on the site, Kunz added.

Teachers are also requesting more coaching on the differences between Khanmigo’s “student mode,” which guides students through lessons and problems, and “teacher mode,” which is designed to help educators plan lessons and collaborate on solutions.

But Neitzel warns that research on the efficacy of tutoring programs such as Khanmigo in the classroom is needed as they gain popularity among school districts.

“It is important to do those research studies that look broadly across certain student groups because schools have limited resources,” said Neitzel, who is also an assistant research scientist at John Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in Education. “They need to choose something that has the best shot of helping the most students.”

Feedback important to evaluate, improve new platforms

The effectiveness of AI tools such as Khanmigo depends on their design and implementation and other factors such as teacher feedback, training, and understanding the social emotional effect on students play a role in improving technology, said Alan Reid, a researcher at John Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in Education.

Reid studies educational technology products and reviews their efficacy in classroom instruction. He says AI products could yield positive learning outcomes by providing personalized attention and learning to students, but does not believe tools such as Khanmigo could replace human instruction completely. He sees educators using new platforms to supplement classroom work but wouldn’t be surprised if a teacher’s role shifts as technology evolves.

“That’s just by the nature of having so many digital programs and products and apps and screens and things that don’t lean on the instructor’s expertise as much as just the instructor becoming more of a guide and a facilitator through these products,” Reid added.

Kunz, the spokesperson for Khan Academy, said “in an ideal world every student would have a human tutor” but the hope is that Khanmigo will be able to provide an AI alternative “that can be scaled so that anyone, anywhere can get help when they need it.”

School districts need to think about different tutoring models and intervention strategies that provide critical support for mastering foundational skills, said Jennifer Krajewski, director of Outreach and Engagement at ProvenTutoring.

Khanmigo could be a useful tool to provide on-demand help with homework, Krajewski said, but could also supplement more robust intervention strategies during the school day depending on what students need and what the school district wants to target.

“I think school districts need to understand that distinction,” Krajewski said, “and start with what are their most pressing needs.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Latinx students in public schools face barriers to college, access to counselors, report finds

2024-05-09T10:00:00+00:00

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Latinx students in New Jersey make up over a third of the public school population but face educational inequities such as less access to school counselors, disparities in academic performance, and low college enrollment rates, a new study found.

Addressing the needs of these students is “an urgent matter,” said Dr. Vandeen Campbell, co-author of the report and associate director and assistant research professor at the Cornwall Center.

“This report couldn’t be more timely because it gave us the opportunity to zoom in and start thinking about solutions for the Latinx population,” Campbell added.

The report, “The Latinx Experience in NJ Schools: A Preliminary Overview,” released last week by the Latino Action Network Foundation and the Joseph C. Cornwall Center at Rutgers University, shows that the state’s Latinx student population is steadily increasing, with those students attending schools where they are less likely to be around students from different backgrounds and less likely to have access to advanced courses and basic resources like mental health professionals.

Latinx students are attending “increasingly hyper-segregated schools” and those schools are more likely to experience higher levels of poverty, the study found.

Latino Action Network, the policy arm of the foundation that co-commissioned this report, is also advocating for solutions through a legal route. The organization is part of the coalition of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against New Jersey, currently before a state Superior Court judge, that argues the state needs to fix its heavily segregated public school education system. That case has been on pause for six months as plaintiffs — who also include the state chapter of the NAACP, families, and other advocates — continue to engage in mediation discussions with state officials.

The report comes as Newark, the state’s largest school district, sees a steady increase in Latino students and expects more than 11,000 English language learners to enter the district next school year.

According to the report, the percentage of schools enrolling more than 75% Latinx students has gone up from 5% in the 2013-14 school year to 8% in 2022-23. Of those schools, on average, 77% of students enrolled received free and reduced-priced lunch, which low-income children are eligible for.

Compared to other racial groups, Latinx students have one of the lowest graduation rates at 85%, six percentage points below the statewide average of 91%. In Newark Public Schools, that rate is 83%, a data analysis component of the report showed. The state’s Latinx students are also graduating high school at a rate equal to the national average for public school students, but enrolling in college at a rate lower than the statewide average, the report found. Those trends point to barriers in the college admissions process and the student-to-guidance counselors ratio in public schools, co-authors of the report said.

During the 2019-20 school year, on average, a counselor in a heavily Latinx school was advising 166 more students than in a typical school, the report found. The statewide ratio of students to counselors has improved since and is now at 339 students per counselor and 491 students per counselor in heavily Latinx schools, according to the report. But those numbers represent a disparity with counselors in Latinx schools advising about 152 more students than the typical school in the state, according to the report.

“If this is their first time going to college, they need the infrastructure to help them complete applications and find funding to apply,” said Swati Dontamsetti, a co-author of the report and doctoral candidate at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

The higher the percentage of Latinx students in a school, the more English language learners in its student body, the report found. Dr. Claudia Castillo-Lavergne, a co-author of the report and post-doctoral associate at the Cornwall Center said it’s important to understand the needs of these students who are a subgroup within the Latinx population in schools.

In the last decade, the overall percentage of English language learners increased by around 5 percentage points, from 4% of the state in the 2013–14 school year to 9% in 2022–23, according to the report.

“There’s certainly a greater need, I think, for supporting and understanding how they’re learning,” Castillo-Lavergne said. “How do we think about cultural responsiveness in connection to what they already know?”

Despite sobering trends, the study also found positive outliers in student achievement and enrollment in career and technical education courses. The co-authors of the report say those outliers are important to learn from to improve the trajectory of students. In career and technical education, Latinx students seem to enroll at higher rates than other student groups, the report found.

Additionally, recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and the state’s learning assessments show that the pandemic wiped out academic progress made over the previous decade, the report says. But Latinx students in 36 districts closely met or outperformed the 2021-22 school year state average in English language arts proficiency, while 23 districts had these students performing better than the state average in math, the report found.

“I think this is really connected to our future workforce and that question of how exactly do we expect these families to come out of poverty and integrate into society if the systems are set up against them?” said Dr. Jesselly De La Cruz, executive director of the Latino Action Network Foundation.

The report is meant to inform policymakers about the state of Latinx students in New Jersey’s public schools and help create better policies to support them, report co-authors say. They will also hold an event on Saturday, May 11 at Rutgers-Newark to discuss their findings and possible solutions.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public School awards $12M contract for new AI camera system aimed at keeping schools safe

2024-05-03T21:58:13+00:00

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More than 7,000 cameras equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities will be installed in Newark schools, under a $12 million contract approved Thursday by the Newark Board of Education.

District officials say the high-tech surveillance system is meant to make schools safer, but security experts warn that systems with such capabilities could result in an invasion of privacy or could potentially misidentify items or students.

Turn-Key Technologies Inc., based in Sayreville, N.J., will install the cameras and their required servers and storage across schools this summer as part of a two-year contract. Approving the contract was “time-sensitive,” said Valerie Wilson, Newark’s school business administrator, as district officials want the 7,700 cameras – roughly one for every five students – in place by Aug. 31, before the start of the new school year.

The project will be funded in part by federal COVID relief dollars, specifically, American Rescue Plan dollars that expire at the end of September, in conjunction with local funds and grants, Wilson added.

Board member Vereliz Santana said the project was “comprehensive and ambitious” and asked for routine updates as installation begins in June. Other members raised questions about how the system would work to detect vaping.

“It’s a large bid, as you can see from the funds that are being allocated, but we want to make effective use of our federal funding,” said Wilson during Thursday’s meeting.

The new system comes as city leaders and advocates call for measures to reduce violence among youth in Newark.

The city will begin enforcing a youth curfew on Friday. The rule is in response to an increase in youth violence, said Mayor Ras Baraka last week, which includes two shooting incidents this school year. In November, a 15-year-old Central High School student was shot during a drive-by and in March, another two students were shot outside West Side High School.

Turn-Key’s new system will expand the district’s surveillance capabilities, going beyond its current camera system to detect weapons and track people and cars across schools by using license plate and facial recognition. Last year, Newark schools said new technology was needed because its current security set-up is “outdated, inefficient,” pointing to no remote access, storage, and other limitations.

In May 2023, the district said it expected to install cameras by the end of that year after requesting bids from surveillance technology companies in September 2023. But the installation was delayed for almost a year after bidders did not meet the New Jersey Alarm or Locksmith License requirement, prompting the district to revise its project specifications and request bids for a second time in April 2024, Wilson said.

In addition to upgrading the district’s surveillance technology, the new setup will use an Avigilon surveillance system, a type of framework that allows Newark to expand its systems as security needs change or develop, said Jermaine Wilson, a senior research engineer at IPVM, a security and surveillance research group.

That system will work with HALO sensors that can detect vape, gun sounds, and abnormal noise in areas where there are no cameras such as bathrooms, according to the district’s request for proposal.

“I want to be very clear to everybody that in no way shape or form will this result in an invasion of privacy of anyone’s students, staff, or otherwise,” Wilson said. “Cameras and devices will not and cannot be placed in areas that are not approved and authorized.”

The contract was approved by all school board members except Crystal Williams who abstained from voting. During the Thursday meeting, board member Josephine Garcia said vaping in schools is an issue the district has “been battling and sounding the alarm on for quite some time.” She requested clarification on the type of vape sensors that will be used in schools, an explanation that would be given during the board’s private operations committee meeting this month due to security concerns, Wilson said.

“So as we talk about our safety and security initiatives, we want to ensure that we do not provide all of our information in the public domain,” Wilson added.

Superintendent Roger León said the district is in conversation with the city’s Office of Emergency Management “about a number of things” that are set to take place this coming school year. He would share more information with the public “once those initiatives are in effect,” León added.

Wilson also said city police officials would not have access to the system, which includes cameras inside and outside of school buildings and other district locations.

The district has spent millions to increase security over the years. The school district installed metal detectors to scan students for contraband and weapons and added six new patrol cars for school safety officers. It also provided its security guards with training on bag scanners, active shooter response, and the district’s drug and alcohol policy. Newark plans to hire more security guards and update its software to track school incidents.

Thursday’s contract was approved during May’s reorganization meeting where Haynes, Santana, Helena Vinhas, and Kanileah Anderson were sworn in after winning this year’s school board election. Hasani Council was chosen as board president, along with Santana and Allison James-Frison as co-vice presidents.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark students say curfew could curb teen violence but more needs to be done

2024-05-01T10:00:00+00:00

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In November, a 15-year-old Central High School student was shot during a drive-by after students were forced to evacuate the Newark school due to reports of a gas leak. In March, two students were shot outside West Side High School as students were being dismissed.

As city leaders aim to prevent other incidents like those and keep teens off the streets, Newark this Friday will start to enforce a youth curfew that has long been on the books but never enforced.

The curfew for teens under 18 is in response to an uptick in youth engaged in violence or victims of it, “mostly in places where teens shouldn’t be after hours,” Mayor Ras Baraka said at a press conference last week.

But Nora’a Armstrong Johnson, a senior at Essex County Payne Technology High School, can foresee resistance to the new curfew among her peers and says she isn’t sure if it will help cut back on youth violence. The Newark youth curfew will be in effect Friday through Sunday beginning on May 3. On June 21, when the school year ends, the curfew will be enforced seven days a week between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. as part of the city’s Summer Safety Initiative, which also includes summer programming, Baraka said.

Newark police who see teens without an adult during curfew hours will stop them and request their home address and information before contacting the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, which will take teens to their homes.

If a parent or guardian is not at home or can’t be reached, teens will be taken to the city’s new reengagement center, which will stay open until 2 a.m. during the curfew, city leaders said. If parents are still not reached, teens will be transported to a local hospital to receive a medical clearance and, if they are not picked up by a parent or guardian after four hours, the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency will be contacted.

Baraka says the curfew is not “a police event” and there are no fines or penalties for teens who break it. The rule is meant to engage city teens who may not usually seek help, Baraka added, such as youth who are not in school or working, who make up 1 in 5 Newark teens and adults 16 to 24.

“What we’re doing is trying to take people home,” Baraka said. “There actually may be kids that we find on the street who have run away or kids who are dealing with issues at their home who may not want to be home.”

During a peace walk in Newark's South Ward, community members stopped at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Stratford Place for a moment of silence to remember those lost to violence. The walk was hosted by the City Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, Hear My Cries, and Brick City Peace Collective, among others.

National report shows youth crimes peak after school

More than 400 towns, cities, and counties have enacted youth curfew laws, according to the National Youth Rights Association. But youth “crime reduction efforts should focus on the after school and early evening hours,” according to the 2022 Youth and the Juvenile Justice System report by the National Center for Juvenile Justice. Violent crimes committed by youth peaked after school at 3 p.m. and “then generally declined hour by hour until the low point at 5 a.m.,” according to the report.

The report found that 64% of all violent crimes by youth occurred on school days, and nearly 1 of every 5 of these crimes, or 18%, occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. During standard curfew hours, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., 14% of violent crimes were committed by youth, according to the report.

Across the country, violent crimes against young people doubled in 2022, according to the FBI’s National Crime Victimization Survey data as youth arrests for those crimes, which include murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, have been on the decline. In public schools across the nation, 67% reported having at least one violent incident during the 2021-22 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Johari Sutton says she began hearing about fights among her peers starting in eighth grade.

The now-12th grader attended Phillips Academy Charter School in middle school before moving to Englewood with her family at the start of high school. Although she was never a part of those fights, she would often hear about them at school or from students like her cousin, who attended Central High School and saw fights often, Sutton said.

She feels that violence among her peers often stems from encounters outside of school and on social media before turning into physical altercations. The role models around them also play a part, Sutton said.

“They’ll see like adults fighting and then they’ll think that that’s how they’re supposed to solve their problems and they’ll bring that to school,” Sutton said. “So if someone like roasts their hair on Instagram or something, they’ll be like, do you want to fight or something?”

In Newark, groups like Hear My Cries are working to reduce violence in the city. They partner with city and local leaders in hosting after-school programs for Newark teens and most recently, organized a peace walk in the city’s South Ward to raise awareness about violence among young people.

Sean Kirby was among those walking down Clinton Avenue last Thursday chanting “stop the violence” and holding signs that read “peace” as residents driving by honked in support of the marchers. Kirby, a Hear My Cries volunteer who helps run the organization’s after-school program on Bergen Street, said he thinks the youth curfew won’t work because some teens like to hang out outside their homes where, he believes, drug-dealing happens.

“I know because I used to do that,” said Kirby, who in previous years found himself in and out of prison due to drug-related charges and other offenses

Armstrong Johnson, who turned 18 in April, won’t be affected by the curfew but thinks following it could pose problems for some teens. Johnson remembers instances where she was out late with friends who didn’t want to go home and fell into arguments with them.

Although she’s never seen or experienced a violent crime and thinks her Central Ward neighborhood is not dangerous, she doesn’t think it’s safe enough to hang out with friends at night. She’s also heard of fights outside her school and others in Newark as well as shootings involving teens.

Even though Armstrong Johnson wonders if her peers will follow the curfew, she believes Newark residents should also enforce it. For instance, she said, if someone is hosting an event that will go past curfew, they should check the ages of guests.

“Are they actually over 18? If they’re not, send them home,” Armstrong Johnson said.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark youth not in school or working nearly double the statewide rate, new report finds

2024-04-24T16:45:37+00:00

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Nearly 1 in 5 Newark teens and adults between the ages of 16 and 24, 7,500 young people, do not attend school or have a job – almost double the statewide rate and above pre-pandemic levels, a new study released Wednesday found.

The report, conducted in partnership by the Newark Opportunity Youth Network and Measure of America, a project of the Social Science Research Council, also found disparities among racial groups and geographic locations in Newark.

The disconnection rate for Black youth in Newark is 22.3%, the highest among the city’s major racial and ethnic groups, while Latinos have a rate of 16.9% and white youth 9.1%, the report found.

By neighborhood, most of Newark’s South Ward and southern parts of the East Ward, specifically, zip codes 07114 and 07106, have the highest rate of youth disconnection: Around 1 in 3 to 1 in 4 young people ages 16-24 who reside in these areas are disengaged, according to the study.

Areas in southern Newark, including the southern parts of the East Ward and South Ward, have the highest rate of youth disconnection.

Thousands of young people in Newark and across the country disengage from school due to various reasons, including violence, an unstable home life, trauma, poverty, or other barriers, according to the Social Science Research Council. Eventually, youth gradually stray from learning and, without the proper support and interventions, may drop out of school or leave the workforce entirely.

In recent years, New Jersey and Newark leaders have ramped up efforts to change the trajectory for these teens and young adults often called “opportunity youth.”

In Newark, city and public school leaders launched a new reengagement center aimed at targeting students at risk of being disconnected. At the state level, Gov. Phil Murphy in January signed The Disconnection Prevention Bill, a law that establishes an ombudsperson to work with the Disconnection Prevention Task Force to analyze the causes of youth disconnection and recommend best practices for reducing school disconnection to school districts.

In cities such as Detroit and Chicago, nonprofits and school districts are also working to tackle the issue in their areas.

Among the report’s findings:

Compared to other cities in the Northeast, Newark has roughly twice the number of young adults out of school and out of work. The New York City metro area, which includes Newark and Jersey City as well as Long Island and counties in the Lower Hudson Valley and Connecticut, has a disconnection rate of 10.6%.
More than 1 in 4 of Newark’s youth living in poverty are disconnected — 28.5% — compared to 14.1% of youth not living in poverty. Overall, the poverty rate for Newark youth is 23.6% but for disconnected youth, that rate is 38.3%.
Disconnection rates among mothers ages 16–24 is 34.8%, higher than that of young women without children, who make up 15%. Mothers in Newark make up 14.3% of disengaged youth but only 6.7% of youth overall.
In Newark, girls and young women have a higher disconnection rate than young men who are not incarcerated — 16.2% compared to 15.7%.
In Newark, 66% of disengaged youth — 4,800 young people — have not worked in the past five years.

Despite the troubling trends found in the report, Newark and New Jersey have experienced a sharp decline in youth disconnection rates since 2020. In New Jersey, the rate dropped from 11.3% in 2021 to 9.4% in 2022 and in Newark, it dropped from 22% in 2021 to 18.4% in 2022, according to Wednesday’s report.

Robert Clark, founder and chief executive officer of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, attributes those gains to increased awareness of the issue and collaborative approaches to “develop strategies, not just programs.”

“One of the aims is to make sure that not only are we talking about the number of young people, but that we’re also talking about all of the supports that are necessary to support what is a broader community challenge, and also raise attention to the idea of equitable distribution of resources to support these young people,” Clark added.

The report found that Newark has “incredible resources” and strong community ties that have shaped racial and ethnic neighborhoods with thriving community-based organizations. But despite being the largest city in New Jersey, home to the largest school system in the state, an international airport, a sports arena, a performing arts center, government offices, and private-sector institutions and companies, “the local community does not often benefit from the economic bounty the city attracts and creates,” the report found.

The study also makes recommendations to reduce the barriers that perpetuate youth disconnection such as poverty, lack of health insurance, home life, teen births, and food insecurities.

Prioritizing high school completion, building high school to job pipelines, focusing on youth in poverty, supporting youth with disabilities, and helping young mothers pursue their educational and career goals are all objectives that “will have a positive effect on youth connection,” according to the report. The analysis also suggests that acting on “early-warning signs” such as low student academic performance or missing 18 days of school or more is key to helping teens stay in school until graduation.

Clark says the study released Wednesday is meant to continue to raise the issue among state and local leaders and “provide opportunities for all communities in New Jersey to be stronger.”

“In Newark, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and work with the collective array of organizations to figure out how we continue to communicate, get better, and create stronger networks of support for these young people,” Clark added.

Correction: April 30, 2024: A previous version of this story said 1 in 3 to 1 in 4 of the city’s disengaged youth live in zip codes 07114 and 07106. The young people who live in those zip codes are disengaged at a rate of 1 in 3 to 1 in 4.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board of Education 2024 election results: Voters pick incumbents backed by mayor

2024-04-17T05:16:00+00:00

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Incumbents Dawn Haynes and Vereliz Santana and their running mates, Helena Vinhas and Kanileah Anderson, appeared headed to victory in Tuesday’s Newark school board election, in which fewer than 2.8% of voters participated, according to preliminary results.

All four candidates are part of the mayoral-backed “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, whose candidates have won every school board election since 2016. Santana and Vinhas each received 22% of the vote, according to preliminary results, while Haynes received roughly 20%. Anderson ran unopposed in her bid to complete the rest of her one-year term.

If the leading candidates hold on to win, the nine-member board would be composed entirely of members who ran for election as part of the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate.

First-time candidate Debra Salters trailed the four-member slate with 11.3%. Returning candidate Che’ J.T. Colter ran alongside newcomer Muta El-Amin on the “It Takes a Village” slate, a duo of community advocates who each received roughly 3%. Returning candidate Latoya Jackson received 6.3%, while two-time candidates Sheila Montague and Jimmie White garnered 8.3% and 2.7%, respectively.

Voters were choosing three candidates to serve three-year terms on the school board, along with Anderson, who was appointed to the board to fill a vacant seat and running to stay for the rest of her term.

As of 9:34 p.m. on Tuesday, Essex County results showed that out of 163,713 registered voters in Newark, just 4,626 voted in the school board election, which determines who sets policies for New Jersey’s largest school system, and its roughly 40,000 students. The board is also tasked with holding the superintendent accountable and, last month, approved a $1.5 billion budget.

During the day, residents reported low turnout at polling sites across the city’s five wards. Historically, voter turnout for the annual school board election has been low, typically around 3% to 4%. In last year’s election, just over 3% of Newark voters participated.

The Oliver Street Elementary School polling site was quiet at noon on Tues., April 16, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.

At Oliver Street Elementary School, in the Ironbound section of Newark, few people turned up to vote early in the day. Poll workers at the school said fewer than five people had shown up to vote by 2 p.m.

“I had no idea that was happening,” said parent Patricia Miraflor in Spanish, as she looked at a candidate flyer taped to a pole across the street.

Outside the school, signs that read “vote here” in English and Spanish hung outside a black gate leading people up a ramp and to the entrance of the voting site.

More than 90 churches, senior centers, and schools across the city’s five wards opened their doors at 6 a.m. on Election Day to serve as polling places. Despite being open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, many sites only saw a slow trickle of voters throughout the day.

Lifelong Newark resident Barbara Howell knows the stakes are high for the school board race but feels disappointed with voter turnout every year. Howell said she mailed in her ballot last week.

“I saw a few of the candidates stop by senior centers but I didn’t really know them or what they’ve done here,” said Howell on Tuesday.

Newark anticipated a new wave of voters this year after the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. But those voters will not participate until next year’s election due to state and county delays in getting voter registration machines ready by April.

Candidate signs hang outside Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a polling site on Tuesday in Newark.

In the North Ward, the polling site located in the basement of Roberto Clemente Elementary School saw four voters by 12:45 p.m. A few blocks away, Mount Zion Baptist Church saw 14 voters as of 1 p.m. as poll workers passed the time by knitting, having lunch, and chatting about the day.

“If nobody votes, nobody can complain about what’s wrong with the schools,” Howell added on Tuesday.

Maggie Freeman, who ran for a seat on the school board in 2022, said she was the 10th person to vote at Good Neighbor Baptist Church in the South Ward as of 2:20 p.m. Every year, she wonders why voter turnout is low.

Nonprofit groups such as Project Ready, The Gem Project, and the Newark branch of the NAACP held candidate forums to increase voter turnout this year. Each group has stressed the importance of participating in the election by canvassing, sharing information on social media, and hosting voter events. Project Ready also hired a truck with an LED message board to drive around the city and encourage people to vote.

Sol Salazar was driving that truck down Bergen Street on Election Day.

“People took pictures by the truck, but the goal is to get them to the polls,” said Salazar before she drove up to the North Ward.

At a polling site inside Newark School of Global Studies, only one person had voted by 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ester Perez, a poll worker for a school in the Central Ward on Tuesday, attended McKinley Elementary School and remembers how hard it was to learn English as a second language when she was a student. Perez remembers her parents and others in the city advocating for more services for bilingual students and hopes today’s parents learn to voice their concerns too.

That starts by “going out to vote,” Perez said.

“I remember way back when I went to school that parents were more involved with education,” Perez said. “It was a big topic for the city back then.”

Irvington also held school board elections Tuesday.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s summer school programs aim to move kids forward, Superintendent Roger León says

2024-04-08T10:00:00+00:00

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With the end of the academic year quickly approaching, Newark Public Schools summer school applications are now open for students in elementary, middle, and high school.

This year, the district is hosting programs at 16 elementary schools, up from 14 last summer, and across 10 high schools.

Summer school is a combination of mandatory academic programs, which are based on attendance, grades, and state test scores, enrichment activities, and specialized programs for high schoolers. The district is also extending hours for enrichment programs – which are provided by teachers and community-based organizations – to 6 p.m. this year.

Similar to last year, summer school is about “moving kids forward” by helping students refine basic skills in math and reading and offering accelerated courses and internship programs for high schoolers, Superintendent Roger León said. District leaders expect a rise in English language learners and students with disabilities next fall and are providing programs this summer aimed at integrating new multilingual learners and supporting students with Individualized Education Programs over the break.

Registration for summer school began on March 28, and closes on May 15. Due to an earlier end to the school year, summer school will begin on June 27 and end on Aug. 2. Students enrolled in the district during this school year are eligible for summer school. Those who are Newark residents but were not enrolled in a public school this year are also eligible to attend depending on availability. Students who do not live in Newark cannot attend summer programs.

Last year, more than 10,000 Newark Public Schools students attended summer school, with more scattered throughout city charter schools. Federal COVID relief dollars helped expand summer programs last year, León said, and this fall, the district is facing the end of those funds.

What families can expect this summer

Not all school sites will be open for summer school, but students can report to the school closest to their home for programs, León said.

Parents of students who are required to attend Summer Achieve, the district’s mandatory summer school program, were notified last month and do not need to register for summer classes, district leaders said. Students wanting to enroll in enrichment programs such as summer sports camps and STEM academies must apply online by selecting the program through the district’s online application.

This year, summer school starts with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. Summer Achieve sessions will be held between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with lunch at 12 p.m. Enrichment programs and activities through the district’s Summer Quest program will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. with dinner included. Students can attend morning, afternoon, or sessions all day, district leaders said.

Elementary students who do not attend within the first three days of programs may lose their seats and, after the third unexcused absence, will be dismissed from their mandatory program, according to the district’s summer programs brochure. High schoolers enrolled in accelerated programs must attend every day to keep their spots.

At the beginning of this school year, Newark residents experienced sweltering conditions with some students learning in hot schools. Other students reported having little to no access to cold water in fountains at their school.

Stephanie McNeil is a per diem aide at 13th Avenue School who in past years, has worked for the district’s summer school program. This year, she’s decided not to apply for a summer position because of the hot conditions that make working in city schools “unbearable.”

“It is way too hot and it’s too hot for the kids to even learn in those types of conditions,” McNeil said.

Last month, the district said it will prioritize air conditioner installations at summer school sites before the start of programs in June. The district said it will also install them at other schools this summer, but has not said which ones.

In 2022, the Newark school board approved a nearly $5 million contract to purchase and install touchless water fountains districtwide, but the work is ongoing. More than 150 contactless water fountains need to be installed in schools and the district’s Office of Facilities Management says it plans to install them by May.

Programs for English language learners, students with disabilities

English language learners in kindergarten through 11th grade are eligible for the English-plus program meant to help students with their academic and language skills. The district says it focuses on developing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in English.

Multilingual students who have recently arrived in the country and will enter high school in the fall can also participate in the newcomers high school summer program. The program is offered at two high schools – Barringer High School in the North Ward and East Side High School in the East Ward – and intends to support students academically, socially, and culturally.

Students who live more than two and a half miles from either school and want to attend the program are eligible for bus tickets, according to the district.

Students with an Individualized Education Program receiving special education services may be eligible to enroll in the Extended School Year program. But the district’s office of special education says not all students with IEPs are eligible for summer services.

Child Study Team members will assess each student to determine their eligibility for the program by looking at a student’s risk of losing skills and knowledge during the summer break, according to the district’s office of special education. They will also look at how long it might take a student to regain those skills lost over the break. If a student is denied a spot in the extended school year program, a parent can appeal that decision.

Nyemia Young is the mother of Nasariah, a kindergartener at Salomé Ureña Elementary School who receives special education services from the district. For the last two summers, Young has enrolled her son in the district’s Extended School Year summer program but wasn’t happy with the care and attention he was getting. During Nasariah’s first time in summer school, he went to Rafael Hernandez School and was struggling with sensory issues that some teachers, Young said, were not prepared to deal with.

“They’re not even putting these kids with the appropriate staff,” Young added. “This year I might send him but I’m not all the way sure.”

The Extended School Year program is offered at nine elementary schools and three high schools, including the district’s specialized high schools: New Jersey Regional Day and John F. Kennedy School.

Who works during summer school?

León says the district is working to staff all its summer school sites. Current district teachers and staff members are eligible to apply for one of dozens of positions districtwide. Each school site is managed by a summer school principal and vice principal who are different from administrators who oversee schools throughout the regular year.

The district has posted positions for administrators, teachers, aides, nurses, and case managers, among others. With enrichment programs running until 6 p.m. this year, some positions require staff to stay for the full summer school day.

Educators like McNeil say it might be tough for teachers to commit to that schedule “on top of working during the regular school year.”

“It’s already difficult during the school year so, I don’t want to have a tough summer too,” McNeil added.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board approves $1.5 billion budget with more money for vulnerable students, district initiatives

2024-03-28T21:51:43+00:00

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The Newark Board of Education approved a $1.5 billion budget on Wednesday that includes an annual $30 tax increase to the average homeowner and $470 million allocated directly to schools and controlled by principals.

Similar to the 2023-24 school year budget, Newark Public School leaders said next year’s biggest expenses are payments to charter schools, hiring new teachers – including bilingual and special education teachers – and supporting academic initiatives such as tutoring, career and technical education programming, and new instructional platforms.

The 2024-25 school year spending plan is $187 million bigger than this year’s budget due in part to a record high $1.25 billion in state aid. That aid comes as the district – the largest in New Jersey – faces the end of its federal COVID relief funding and confronts costly demands in 2025 — such as providing services for more than 11,000 English language learners and roughly 7,000 students with disabilities, ongoing efforts to support student learning loss, a new teachers union contract, and facilities needs.

Typically, residents also cast their vote for the budget during the annual April school board election, but a new state law eliminated that requirement for the first time this year. Residents would vote on the budget if the district proposed a more than 2% increase in property taxes.

Newark’s spending plan is designed to support Superintendent Roger León’s 10-year plan known as “The Next Decade,” which enters its fifth year this coming school year. Next school year’s budget contains funding to continue and expand the initiatives in León’s plan and tackle emerging issues such as the need for additional attendance counselors. The district is also looking to secure “a more centralized location” for its truancy task force as Newark looks to bolster student attendance, said León during Wednesday’s budget hearing.

León said the pandemic “did not distract us from the mission and vision” outlined in his 10-year plan but rather helped reach the goals quicker.

“The budget is about a strategy and everyone’s best thinking,” León added.

State fully funds Newark, but district struggles with local share

Over the last several years, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration gradually increased Newark’s state aid, with next year’s funding being the highest. Next school year, Newark will receive an additional $101 million in funding from New Jersey, making up 82.3% of the district’s budget. City taxes make up 9.3% of next school year’s budget, an excess fund balance makes up 7.7%, and other local and federal aid makes up the remaining 0.7%.

While the state has continued to fund Newark Public Schools, historically it has been one of the most underfunded school districts based on the state’s school funding formula, which uses a weighted student formula to give districts financial support in addition to local taxes.

“We have not caught up yet, but we are beginning to do so,” said Valerie Wilson, the district’s school business administrator.

The $1.25 billion in state aid next school year will also include $66 million for special education and $8.5 million for transportation costs. This year’s budget saw an $8.5 million increase in student transportation costs due to rising vendor rates, Wilson said on Wednesday. Those costs include money for student bus tickets and cards and transportation for students and students with disabilities.

Despite the 8.8% increase in state funding, district leaders say Newark remains $112 million under its local fair share of property taxes. Between 1987 and 2006 and again between 2022 and 2024, Newark schools did not raise property taxes.

The district also receives funding through federal and state grants, IDEA funds that support students with disabilities, and Title I funds that provide financial assistance to school districts with a high number of children from low-income families.

Charter school payments continue to grow

Newark school and community leaders have raised issues about the district’s rising payments to charter schools.

Next school year, the district is providing charter schools with $401 million, with $391 million paid directly to those schools for students. The publicly funded but privately managed charter schools educate roughly 18,000 Newark public school students, Wilson said. New Jersey law states that districts must send to charter schools at least 90% of per-pupil funds for students who live in the district.

Of the $401 million, $7 million covers transportation costs for those students, and just under $3 million is for out-of-district tuition for charter students sent to private schools for specialized services.

This school year, charter school payments made up the district’s second-largest expenditure at $353.8 million, an $11.8 million increase from the 2022-23 school year.

Boosts to academic initiatives support student recovery efforts

Last year, León said federal COVID relief dollars were the district’s “saving grace” in expanding summer programs to 14 schools, which offered tutoring in group and one-on-one learning settings.

Last summer, roughly 10,000 public school students were required to attend summer school – double the number from the previous year – highlighting the district’s work to support student academic recovery efforts after the pandemic. This summer, the programs “will be about moving kids forward,” said León on Wednesday.

“Our efforts to combat learning loss are still in full effect,” León added.

Next school year’s budget includes a $6.8 million increase in tutoring efforts previously covered by American Rescue Plan funds. Next school year, León also plans to boost high-dosage tutoring before and after school and continue with Saturday programs for high school and elementary students.

It will also include an extra $30.6 million for academic initiatives such as career and technical education programming, new instructional platforms, professional development for teachers, a virtual reality math program, and replacements of math and English language arts textbooks and novels.

New schools and updating aging facilities

The district currently enrolls roughly 41,000 students in 63 schools but León expects more students in the coming school year. This year’s budget also includes a $2.7 million increase to support new and expanding schools.

This fall, the district will open Branch Brook Elementary School and enroll students in pre-K to second grade, and expand one grade level the year after. The district will also increase one grade level at seven schools.

District leaders are also working with the state’s School Development Authority to build a new University High School. León is looking to open eight new schools with plans to open one in the North Ward and one in the East Ward in the years to come.

Next year’s budget includes an additional $41.4 million directly for school renovations and facilities projects such as new air conditioners in schools, asbestos remediation and lead stabilization, and new turf fields at Science Park and Central high schools.

Newark’s public school buildings are among the oldest in the state, and León estimated that it would take more than $2 billion to fully repair and update them. During Wednesday’s budget hearing, he said school and city leaders are beginning to discuss the possibility of a bond for school construction projects to supplement the cost, which Newark voters would need to approve.

Newark’s English language learners, students with disabilities grow

More than 18,000 Newark students are English language learners or have disabilities that require special education services. During March’s business board meeting, León said those students are “among the hardest to serve” and “have a bigger financial implication on the district.”

An additional $4.2 million is included in next school year’s budget to support the expansion of bilingual programs across schools and accommodate the latest influx of migrants into the city, León said on Wednesday. Specifically, the district said it will grow the program in elementary schools and high schools and launch a new bilingual education program at Malcolm X Shabazz High School this fall. An additional $3.9 million is being allocated in the budget to hire teachers and aides and support partnerships with universities and local programs in the area, León said.

The district has struggled to implement programs and support for students with disabilities. In 2012, the state began monitoring the district following the settlement of a class action lawsuit that accused the district and state special education department of not evaluating students for special education services or providing resources on time.

Newark parents have also raised concerns about the lack of aides and services available for students with disabilities, who often require multiple teachers or aides to assist them during class time as well as social workers, case managers, therapists, or other support based on their individualized education programs, or IEPs.

New schools need more staff

As the district continues to grow, León says it is posting vacancies for hundreds of instructional and non-instructional positions across the district.

In next year’s budget, $505.8 million is allocated for staff salaries. The district is adding 211 new teaching positions, 45 new aides, 20 administrative positions, and one school staff support position. León also said the district needs 142 custodial workers to serve in schools districtwide.

The Newark Teachers Union contract expires this June and union President John Abeigon said they are negotiating a “historic” and “unprecedented” contract that demands higher salaries. León said he predicts that this year’s contract will “help us recruit more teachers and retain staff.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s new reengagement center connects city youth with career, educational opportunities

2024-03-27T10:00:00+00:00

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Stephan Young says he’s in his “grown-man stage” – and a long way since his release from federal prison last August where he served five-and-a-half years for a drug-related charge.

During his time in prison, Young says he reflected on the challenges that kept him from staying in school and the decisions that led him to choose a life on the streets. He also thought about his now 7-year-old son and the personal change he wanted to make for him.

After his release, Young knew he needed to find a safe and healthy way to provide for his son but didn’t know where to go or who to ask for help. That’s when the halfway house where he was staying referred him to Newark’s reengagement services. It was an opportunity that changed his life, Young said.

The 25-year-old Newark native told his story in front of dozens of city leaders at Tuesday’s grand opening of Newark’s new reengagement center located at the city’s One-Stop Career Center on McCarter Highway.

The new center, a partnership between the city of Newark and Newark Public Schools, is a one-stop hub aimed at addressing the barriers that prevent young people from reengaging in education or entering the workforce. The city will continue to partner with community-based organizations and other city departments to target students who may be at risk of dropping out of school, teens who require help to get on a better path, or others who may be referred from city departments.

The center will provide youth with local services such as school placement advising, access to academic enrichment, social support, and modified instructional programming. Young adults over the age of 21 will be referred to GED and high school equivalency program options to complete their education before entering workforce training programs.

Before prison, Young spent most of his teen years with his grandmother but he fell in with a bad crowd. His experience reflects that of thousands of youth in Newark and across the country who disengage from school due to violence, an unstable home life, trauma, or other barriers. Eventually, young people like Young gradually disengage from learning, and without adequate support and interventions, they may drop out of school.

Newark native Stephan Young sought help from the city's reengagement center after serving five years in federal prison.

In Newark, roughly 4,000 teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 20 are not in school, and about 3,000 more between 15 and 21 are at risk of leaving school without a high school diploma, according to a 2018 report conducted by the Newark Opportunity Youth Network. The pandemic exacerbated those numbers, say city leaders, who are looking to change the trajectory for teens and young adults ages 13-24 who they call “Opportunity Youth.”

Young remembers his first visit with members of the reengagement center: “I was sitting there puzzled but happy on the inside looking at how many people wanted to help me and they didn’t even know me yet.”

But reenagement isn’t a one-size-fits-all effort, said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during Tuesday’s grand opening ceremony. Using federal and city dollars, multiple state and city departments will work together on the third floor of the One-Stop Career Center, which is also home to the city’s youth career center.

“We are going to allow parents and kids to have options to be able to specify a program just for them or tailor it for them,” Baraka said. “It may be a charter school, it may be a Newark public school, or maybe neither of those.”

Tyreek Rolon is the newly appointed director of the center and director of NewarkWorks and the Summer Youth Employment Program. NewarkWorks will collaborate with the center as well as the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery and Workforce Development department to develop a plan for youth.

Karen Gaylord, the executive director of the Newark Workforce Development department, said Baraka has been clear in his mandate to provide academic and career support to young people.

At the reengagement center, teens and young adults will meet with career, educational, or social workers to determine what programs and department services fit best with their needs. Participants are then placed in one of three available tracks. Youth in need of completing their high school degree will be placed on an educational track, those needing career or employment assistance will be placed in a vocational training program, and others requiring more personal help will be placed on a social, emotional, and well-being track.

“We want to treat the whole person,” said Rolon on Tuesday. “The main goal that we want our young adults to understand is that we want to get you educated first. Then we will provide the resources, skills, and tools around employment.”

Young, one of the first participants of the reengagement center’s services, says he is blessed to have found support in his community. After spending a few months completing a GED program in prison, Young will attend Rutgers University Newark this fall where he will major in business. He will be the first man in his family to finish college, a goal he aims to achieve for his son.

Young says the streets “cloud up your mind up and thinking.” “But once you have a sit-down with someone, you open up about life and what you’re doing wrong and what you’re doing right,” Young added. “The reengagement center showed me a lot.”

Newark residents can contact the reengagement center by calling the department at 973-733-8500 or filling out a questionnaire form online.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

20 Newark schools exit state comprehensive, targeted status this year

2024-03-14T16:52:05+00:00

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More than half of Newark’s public schools are no longer designated as underperforming or in need of support following a state review of high-poverty schools.

This year, 20 Newark schools moved out of state designations for schools in need of support due to low student performance, among other criteria. Among those were Weequahic High School and Rafael Hernandez Elementary School. Both exited one of the lowest designations given to schools in need of recurring support, according to Superintendent Roger León, who announced the school designations during a board meeting last month.

The schools joined a list of more than 30 other schools that did not receive a designation this year.

Although an improvement over past years, the district remains under the state’s average graduation rate and proficiency scores on standardized tests. Seven Newark schools continue to need state support to raise student achievement next school year.

The district’s goal is to have the number of state-supported schools range from “small to zero,” said León during the meeting.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, known by its acronym ESSA, New Jersey must ensure that all students have access to a high quality and equitable education. The federal guidelines set minimum requirements around measuring and reporting school performance and require states to identify the lowest performing schools.

Schools in need of assistance receive federal funds meant to help raise the performance of the lowest-achieving students. High-poverty schools also can be identified as needing additional support through the Title I program. All Newark schools qualify for Title I.

New Jersey considers a variety of factors when identifying schools in need of support, including academic achievement, academic growth for elementary and middle schools, high school graduation rates, English language proficiency, and chronic absenteeism. The state then designates a score.

Last year, the state analyzed data from the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years and identified 25 Newark public schools in need of support. The state required the district to write an action plan and engage the community to help identify and tackle school challenges.

This year, seven schools entered a new state status or remained under the same designation, a significant shift from last year’s state review. During this year’s review, the state analyzed 2022-23 school year data – a time when Newark Public Schools’ state test scores went up 2 percentage points in both math and English language arts, pointing to students’ slow academic recovery post-pandemic.

The pandemic had a devastating effect on student performance and mental health, particularly among Newark’s most vulnerable students, including English language learners and students with disabilities. Third graders’ English language arts scores remained at 19% last spring, prompting concern among advocates who consider that grade a critical year for long-term success.

Two schools – Grover Cleveland and Thirteenth Avenue elementary schools – performed at or below the bottom 5% of Title I schools, which means they will enter “comprehensive status” for the coming year. Last year, Thirteenth Avenue exited that status. High schools enter comprehensive status when they have a graduation rate of 67% or lower.

In the coming year, Barringer High School will move out of “comprehensive II status,” a designation for schools that require intensive support again and didn’t meet the state’s criteria to exit the category. The high school entered “additional targeted status” meaning that a student group at that school is “consistently underperforming.”

Barringer offers a special education program for students with behavior disabilities, and roughly 48% of Barringer students are English learners, according to 2022-23 state fall enrollment data. Natasha Pared, Barringer’s principal, used to lead Rafael Hernandez Elementary school, which moved out of a state designation this year.

“So we have confidence she’ll be able to do the same thing here at Barringer,” said León during the February school board meeting.

Chancellor Avenue and Sussex Avenue elementary schools will continue with “additional targeted status,” while Quitman Street Elementary School and Malcolm X Shabazz High School will continue with “comprehensive II” status.

Quitman offers a bilingual and special education program for students with autism in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Shabazz also offers a special education program for students with behavior disabilities. In recent years, the school has seen declining enrollment, struggles in student performance, and safety challenges. In 2022, Shabazz reported a 64.2% graduation rate, compared to the statewide rate of 90%, according to school performance report data. This fall, it will launch a new bilingual program for ninth and 10th grade students.

In total, 36 schools were not identified for any status and 20 schools exited comprehensive status, according to the state’s review this year. The schools that exited a state designation this year must write a sustainability plan, which details how schools will continue to support student academic achievement.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Este año 20 escuelas de Newark salen del estatus de bajo rendimiento

2024-03-25T20:08:56+00:00

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Más de la mitad de las escuelas públicas de Newark ya no están designadas como de bajo rendimiento o que necesitan apoyo luego de una revisión estatal de las escuelas de alta pobreza.

Este año, 20 escuelas de Newark salieron de las designaciones estatales para escuelas que necesitaban apoyo debido al bajo rendimiento de los estudiantes, entre otros criterios. Entre ellas se encontraban la escuela secundaria Weequahic y la escuela primaria Rafael Hernández. Ambas salieron de una de las designaciones más bajas otorgadas a escuelas que necesitan apoyo recurrente, según el superintendente Roger León, quien anunció las designaciones de escuelas durante una reunión de la junta el mes pasado.

Las escuelas se unieron a una lista de más de otras 30 escuelas que no recibieron una designación este año.

Aunque ha sido una mejora con respecto a los últimos años, el distrito se mantiene por debajo de la tasa de graduación y los puntajes de competencia promedio del estado en las pruebas estandarizadas. Siete escuelas de Newark siguen necesitando apoyo estatal para mejorar el rendimiento estudiantil el próximo año escolar. La meta del distrito es que el número de escuelas apoyadas por el estado oscile desde “un número pequeño hasta cero”, dijo León durante la reunión.

Según la Ley Every Student Succeeds, conocida por su acrónimo ESSA, Nueva Jersey debe garantizar que todos los estudiantes tengan acceso a una educación equitativa y de alta calidad. Las pautas federales establecen requisitos mínimos para medir e informar el desempeño escolar y requieren que los estados identifiquen las escuelas con el desempeño más bajo.

Las escuelas que necesitan asistencia reciben fondos federales destinados a ayudar a mejorar el desarrollo de los estudiantes de menor rendimiento. También se puede identificar que las escuelas de alta pobreza necesitan apoyo adicional a través del programa Título I. Todas las escuelas de Newark califican para el Título I.

Nueva Jersey considera una variedad de factores al identificar las escuelas que necesitan apoyo, incluido el rendimiento académico, el crecimiento académico de las escuelas primarias y secundarias, las tasas de graduación de la escuela secundaria, el dominio del idioma inglés y el ausentismo crónico. Luego, el estado designa una puntuación.

El año pasado, el estado analizó datos de los años escolares 2018-19 y 2021-22 e identificó 25 escuelas públicas de Newark que necesitaban apoyo. El estado exigió que el distrito redactara un plan de acción e involucrara a la comunidad para ayudar a identificar y abordar los desafíos escolares.

Este año, siete escuelas ingresaron a una nueva posición estatal o permanecieron bajo la misma designación, un cambio significativo con respecto a la revisión estatal del año pasado. Durante la revisión de este año, el estado analizó los datos del año escolar 2022-23, un momento en el que los puntajes de las pruebas estatales de las Escuelas Públicas de Newark aumentaron 2 puntos porcentuales tanto en matemáticas como en artes del lenguaje inglés, lo que apunta a la lenta recuperación académica de los estudiantes después de la pandemia.

La pandemia tuvo un efecto devastador en el rendimiento de los estudiantes y la salud mental, particularmente entre los estudiantes más vulnerables de Newark, incluidos los estudiantes de inglés y los estudiantes con discapacidades. Los puntajes de artes del lenguaje inglés de los estudiantes de tercer grado se mantuvieron en 19% la primavera pasada, lo que generó preocupación entre los defensores que consideran ese grado un año crítico para el éxito a largo plazo.

Dos escuelas, las escuelas primarias Grover Cleveland y Thirteenth Avenue, tuvieron un desempeño igual o inferior al 5% más bajo de las escuelas de Título I, lo que significa que ingresarán al “estatus integral” para el próximo año. El año pasado, la escuela Thirteenth Avenue salió de ese estado. Las escuelas secundarias ingresan al estado integral cuando tienen una tasa de graduación del 67% o menos.

El próximo año, Barringer High School saldrá del “estado integral II”, una designación para escuelas que requieren apoyo intensivo nuevamente y no cumplieron con los criterios estatales para salir de la categoría. La escuela secundaria entró en “estado de objetivo adicional”, lo que significa que un grupo de estudiantes en esa escuela tiene “consistentemente un rendimiento inferior”.

Barringer ofrece un programa de educación especial para estudiantes con discapacidades de conducta, y aproximadamente el 48% de los estudiantes de Barringer son estudiantes de inglés, según los datos estatales de inscripción de otoño de 2022-23. Natasha Pared, directora de Barringer, era directora de la escuela primaria Rafael Hernández, que abandonó la designación estatal este año.

“Así que tenemos confianza en que ella podrá hacer lo mismo aquí en Barringer”, afirmó León durante la reunión de la junta escolar de febrero.

Las escuelas primarias de Chancellor Avenue y Sussex Avenue continuarán con el “estado de objetivo adicional”, mientras que la escuela primaria Quitman Street y la escuela secundaria Malcolm X Shabazz continuarán con el estado de “integral II”.

Quitman ofrece un programa bilingüe y de educación especial para estudiantes con autismo desde kindergarten hasta octavo grado.

Shabazz también ofrece un programa de educación especial para estudiantes con discapacidades de conducta. En los últimos años, la escuela ha visto una disminución en la inscripción, dificultades en el desempeño de los estudiantes y desafíos de seguridad. En 2022, Shabazz informó una tasa de graduación del 64.2%, en comparación con la tasa estatal del 90%, según los datos del informe de desempeño escolar. Este otoño lanzará un nuevo programa bilingüe para estudiantes de noveno y décimo grado.

En total, 36 escuelas no fueron identificadas para ningún estatus y 20 escuelas salieron del estatus integral, según la revisión estatal de este año. Las escuelas que salieron de una designación estatal este año deben redactar un plan de sostenibilidad, que detalla cómo las escuelas continuarán apoyando el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes.

Esta traducción fue proporcionada por El Latino Newspaper, en asociación con el Centro de Medios Cooperativos de la Universidad Estatal de Montclair, y cuenta con el apoyo financiero del Consorcio de Información Cívica de NJ. La historia fue escrita originalmente en inglés por Chalkbeat Newark y se vuelve a publicar en virtud de un acuerdo especial para compartir contenido a través del Servicio de noticias de traducción al español de NJ News Commons.

This translation was provided by El Latino Newspaper, in association with the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and is financially supported by the NJ Civic Information Consortium. The story was originally written in English by Chalkbeat Newark and is republished under a special content sharing agreement through the NJ News Commons Spanish Translation News Service.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark candidates discuss diversity, board policies, and state aid at NAACP school board forum

2024-03-15T21:24:18+00:00

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Parent engagement, curriculum, and school equity dominated a school board candidate forum for New Jersey’s largest district.

During the two-hour forum, candidates answered questions about which Newark Public Schools policies they would revise or enact, strategies to tackle academic learning loss, and how they would use the record-high state aid proposed in Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget, among other questions.

The event, organized by the Newark branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, began with opening statements and questions from moderators Kaleena Berryman, the executive director of the Newark Youth Career Pathways program, and Ali McBride Jr., chair of the civic engagement committee of the Newark NAACP. Toward the end of the event, a small group of residents disrupted the evening and objected to the lack of community questions. Police arrived to ease tensions between the group and volunteer organizers.

Ten candidates are running for four seats, including one who is running for an unfinished one-year term left by former board president Asia Norton. Four are incumbents, four have run before, and two are newcomers. Returning candidate Jimmie White was not at Thursday’s forum.

Candidates discuss district policies, curriculum, diversity

The first question the moderator asked was about which district policies the candidates would revise.

Latoya Jackson, a former beauty salon owner turned full-time community advocate and two-time school board candidate, said she wants an open-door policy for parents who want to visit their children at school. Her son has a disability, and she said she had sometimes been denied access to his school.

Returning candidate Che J.T. Colter is running alongside newcomer Muta El-Amin on the “It Takes a Village” slate, a duo of parents and advocates. Colter, the father of a ninth grader, wants to focus on improving program and instruction policies that impact student learning. He wants more intervention for students struggling in math and reading.

Sheila Montague, a returning candidate and educator, pointed to third-grade scores on the state’s English language arts test that showed only 19% of public school third-graders reached proficiency levels for the second year in a row. She said she wants to address the issue and incorporate more phonics-based learning into the curriculum. Last fall, the district introduced new approaches to teaching phonics and implemented explicit writing strategies.

First-time candidate Debra Salters, who ran in the 2021 general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 29 and works with Newark teens, said she would revise the district’s harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy to encompass racial harassment and equity. She referred to student claims of racist harassment at the Newark School of Global Studies that raised questions about how the district handled those allegations.

Co-vice president Dawn Haynes is one of the longest-serving board members and is running for reelection along with Vereliz Santana and newly appointed board members Helena Vinhas and Kanileah Anderson on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate.

Haynes also raised concerns about the district’s equity policy and school diversity issues that “keep coming up.” She also noted the school board’s work to rebuild programs and curriculums that were removed while the district was under state control. The state returned local control to the Newark district in 2020.

“Let’s not forget that the state had control of our schools for 25 years. We are building and driving the plane at the same time,” added Haynes during the forum, which was held at The Clubhouse community center in the Central Ward.

Newark students raise questions about student advocacy

Science Park High School juniors Nathaniel Esubonteng and Breanna Campbell each posed one question to the candidates during the forum. The Newark city council unanimously approved an ordinance in January to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections, but students won’t be voting this April because of state and county delays in getting voter registration machines ready.

Esubonteng and Campbell asked candidates what inspired them to run and how they would learn about student needs. Anderson, who has a daughter with a disability and was recently appointed to the board in January, said she wants to see all high school student government association presidents convene regularly to discuss the biggest student problems and present them to board members.

El-Amin, a newcomer running with Colter, said he was inspired to run after he found out his children were failing math and English language arts last year. He runs the community center at Bradley Court, a public housing complex that he said needs more city services, youth, and community engagement.

“This triggered an alarm system that went off in my head. I as a father have to do something. I as a community advocate have to do something,” said El-Amin, who joined the Newark Community Street Team’s safe passage to schools initiative to help city teens.

Santana, who is running for reelection, said the state legislature should revise the funding formula used to calculate aid to school districts and account for inflation and cost of living. Although the district is slated to get a record-high $1.25 billion in aid for next school year, those dollars “are just going to supplant what federal dollars have been funding,” Santana added.

Federal COVID relief funds sent to school districts are set to expire this fall, and those dollars have been funding the district’s academic programs such as after-school and summer programs, Saturday school, and tutoring, Santana said.

During the forum, returning and new candidates also expressed their concern about the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, which garners support from state and local leaders like Mayor Ras Baraka and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz every year. The slate has won every election since 2016. Seven current board members were part of that slate.

Vinhas, who is of Portuguese descent and the mother of two public school students, said she would advocate for more services and resources for English language learners and immigrant families trying to navigate the public school system.

Montague wants to involve parents in board decisions about school curriculums and policies. She also wants to see new members on the school board who are not backed by the mayoral slate that has historically won every election since 2016.

“The most important issue is that we remove politics from the education of our children,” Montague added.

The forum was disrupted when a small group of residents arrived at the end of Haynes’ closing remarks. One resident, who claimed he was the chairman of the new Black power movement in Newark, asked why community residents could not ask candidates a question. McBride tried to address the concerns, but the conversation became volatile. After the police arrived to calm those in the audience, the remaining candidates gave their closing remarks.

NAACP Newark president Deborah Smith Gregory addressed the crowd and said residents were not given an opportunity to ask questions because the event was designed to allow the community to hear from the candidates.

City residents can vote in person on April 16 at their designated polling location or vote by mail if they register for that option seven days before the election. Ballots must be postmarked no later than April 16 and received by the Essex County Board of Elections no later than six days after polls close on election day.

Residents can watch the NAACP Newark candidate forum in full on the organization’s Facebook page.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New, returning candidates to face off in Newark’s school board race this year

2024-03-07T11:00:00+00:00

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Newark voters will see a mix of new and returning contenders in April’s school board election, where they will choose representatives for four seats on the nine-member Board of Education.

Among the 10 candidates, four are incumbents running to keep their board seats, four are returning candidates, and two are newcomers. Typically, residents also cast their vote for next school year’s budget but a new state law eliminated that requirement for the first time this year.

The candidates who win a spot in April will be tasked with deciding policies in New Jersey’s largest school system, which is home to roughly 40,000 students. The board is also tasked with holding the superintendent accountable and, last year, approved a $1.3 billion budget.

The winning candidates will have to address the public school’s most pressing issues such as academic recovery efforts, support for the city’s growing population of English language learners and students with disabilities, district expansions, and new schools, among other topics.

The board has recently faced criticism from the community over transparency in the district’s decision to remove a young adult novel about a Palestinian boy and faces demands to release a report on the cultural dynamics at a magnet high school.

Three winning candidates will serve three-year terms and one will complete an unfinished one-year term left by former board president Asia Norton.

The order of names appearing on the April ballot was chosen in a drawing on Wednesday and is subject to final approval by the Essex County Clerk’s office this week. The candidate running for the one-year term will be included on the ballot in April, said business administrator Valerie Wilson during the ballot drawing.

Co-vice presidents Dawn Haynes and Vereliz Santana are running for reelection, along with newly appointed board member Helena Vinhas, on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate. When they were elected to the board in 2018 and 2021 respectively, Haynes and Santana ran on that slate. Vinhas was appointed to the board earlier this year along with Kanileah Anderson, who is running individually on the “Newark Schools Forward” platform.

Historically, the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate has won every election since 2016 and seven current board members formed part of that group during their elections. The slate garners support from state and local politicians, including Mayor Ras Baraka and state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz every year.

Returning candidate Che J.T. Colter is running alongside newcomer Muta El-amin on the “It Takes a Village” slate, a duo of community advocates. Latoya Jackson, Sheila Montague, and Jimmie White are also running again. They are joined by first-time candidate Debra Salters who ran in the 2021 general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 29.

City leaders have long raised concerns about voter turnout in the annual school board election that historically has seen around 3% to 4% of registered voters participating. Newark anticipated a new wave of voters this year after the city council unanimously approved an ordinance in January to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. But those voters will participate in next year’s election due to state and county delays in getting voter registration machines ready by April.

Advocates say they plan to use the extra time to civically engage and educate city youth who are already interested in the election and reach those who are not yet.

Haynes, a long-time community advocate, was elected in 2018 and is one of the longest-serving board members. Vereliz, the director of lawmaker engagement at the bipartisan organization The States Project, joined the board in 2021 to replace a board member who died suddenly the prior year.

Newly appointed members Anderson, a community advocate, and Vinhas, a jewelry store owner and mother of Science Park High School students, were sworn in at a ceremony during January’s school board meeting. They filled two vacancies on the board left by former president Norton, who abruptly resigned at the beginning of the school, and former member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, who won a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners in November. Their appointments came after the Board of Education refused to swear in a charter school teacher chosen to fill one of the empty seats.

Jackson, a first-time candidate last year, says she feels excited to run again now that she has a better understanding of the election process. She is a beauty salon owner and mother of a Newark Public School student and is focused on special education issues and empowering parents.

Colter, who ran for school board in 2018 and Essex County Commissioner in 2017 said he is running because he also wants to see more parent involvement in district decisions. Board members make financial decisions for the district, which Colter says, is important for parents to be involved in. He is joined by El-amin, a first-time school board candidate. Colter and El-amin are running against Montague, a three-time school board candidate and former mayoral candidate, on the “Open the Door” platform.

White, a two-time school board candidate, says he wants to reach more people in the community. Salters, a community advocate, will also appear on the April ballot under the “Saving Our Children” platform.

Newark and Irvington are the only districts in Essex County participating in the April school board election. Earlier this year, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill that removed the vote for school budgets for districts participating in the April election. The district could call for a special election if it proposes more than a 2% change in the city’s tax levy.

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Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools to get electric school buses through federal grant of nearly $3 million

2024-03-04T20:51:19+00:00

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Newark Public Schools is one of five New Jersey districts slated to receive electric buses through a federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Through the agency’s Clean School Bus Program, Newark, the state’s largest school district, will get six electric buses to service some of the city’s roughly 126 routes to public schools. Bloomfield Township, Elizabeth, Lakewood Township, and Union City will also receive funding through the $19 million award.

The new funding comes after the Newark Board of Education announced an increase in student transportation costs included in its $1.3 billion budget in 2023. Federal, state, and local leaders say the new grant will help provide cleaner air and reduce health risks in communities, especially for children with respiratory problems like asthma.

“There is still a lot of work to make Newark the most environmentally friendly and equitable city it can be,” Carlos Vega, public information officer for the EPA, said last week in response to emailed questions from Chalkbeat.

Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey, making up 37% of all emissions, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. In Newark, residents often experience air quality levels higher in pollutants than other areas throughout the state and country. The city is home to several major roads and is near major highways, the Newark-Elizabeth Marine Port, factories, and an international airport that contribute to unhealthy air quality levels, according to the EPA.

One in every four children in Newark suffers from asthma — three times the state average — and asthma is a leading cause of students missing school, according to an EPA study monitoring air quality in the area. In 2019, Superintendent Roger León named asthma as one of four health issues that hinder student achievement.

The $19 million grant will be awarded to the private transportation company Van-Con, Inc., which will purchase and distribute the electric buses. These buses produce lower tailpipe emissions compared with traditional school buses that run and emit more pollutants, according to the EPA.

Newark will receive $2,667,222 to cover the costs of six electric buses and $180,000 for bus charger installation costs. The district will receive the buses within the next year and Van-Con must provide semi-annual reports to the EPA for all school districts awarded in New Jersey.

In 2023, the Newark Board of Education said it spent just over $7 million on a contract with 20 transportation companies to service 126 routes to schools. That year, the district also launched a monthly NJ Transit bus pass program to provide free rides for high school students.

In late January, New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced the launch of the Electric School Bus Grant Program providing up to $45 million in funding over three years to replace diesel school buses with battery-electric school buses, and to install associated charging infrastructure across the state. School districts can apply for this funding until May 17.

In total, the federal government is providing more than $1 billion to fund electric buses across 280 school districts nationwide.

In Illinois, Chicago Public Schools is expected to get $20 million to buy 50 electric school buses and Detroit Public Schools nearly $6 million to buy 15 electric buses. In Colorado, Aurora Public Schools received $2 million to buy seven new electric school buses.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy’s 2025 budget proposal outlines plan to fully fund school aid formula

2024-02-27T22:58:00+00:00

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Gov. Phil Murphy proposed $11.6 billion for New Jersey’s public schools in his fiscal year 2025 budget address on Tuesday — a historic investment that would, for the first time, fully fund K-12 schools.

The proposed aid, a $908 million increase from the current year, would be Murphy’s final payment into the seven-year plan, outlined by a law he signed in 2018, to fully fund the state’s school aid formula and redirect money to underfunded districts, including Newark Public Schools.

“We will be the first administration in our state’s history to fully fund New Jersey’s school funding formula,” Murphy said to a standing ovation in the Assembly Chambers at the statehouse in Trenton. The speech was streamed on the governor’s social media channels.

Before a room full of lawmakers, former governors, and community advocates, Murphy outlined his $55.9 billion proposed spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The plan includes major investments in schools, the public transit system, and public worker pensions, in addition to a proposed surplus of $6.1 billion, he said.

But a shortfall in tax revenues, a looming forecast of steep deficits, and other economic hardships could present challenges to fund this plan. Lawmakers will be negotiating and making changes to the proposed budget over the next few months before the deadline of June 30.

“There’s a simple reason why we’re keeping this promise,” Murphy said of the proposed boost in state school aid. “It’s because we need to cultivate the potential of every student anyway we can, whether they live in Cranbury or Camden — and that also means equipping our state’s educators with every tool they need to help our children learn and grow.”

Murphy also proposed other educational investments in the budget. He wants $124 million to go to preschool aid, which would include $20 million to expand preschool programs into new districts and create 1,000 new seats. He also wants an additional $30 million to expand the free school meals program, and to join 34 other states to take part in the Summer EBT program, which aims to combat child hunger during the summer with the help of $60 million in federal funds.

In addition, his plan includes a $2.5 million allocation for a grant program to help school districts acquire literacy screening tools to help children in need of support, a promise he made in his State of the State address last month.

While the proposed budget outlined major funding to support education, there was no sign of funding for the Schools Development Authority, a severely underfunded program meant to help high-poverty districts pay for projects to repair dilapidated school buildings.

A historic boost for school aid

Since 2008, New Jersey has used a weighted student formula created under the School Funding Reform Act to give districts financial support in addition to local taxes to provide every student a “thorough and efficient” education, as stipulated in the state constitution. However, in the 15 years since that formula was established, the state has not provided the full amount owed to underfunded districts.

During his campaign for governor in 2017, Murphy promised to prioritize fully funding the formula. Though his annual efforts to follow through on that promise have received much praise, education advocates say key updates and revisions to the formula are urgent to meet today’s educational needs.

Still, the last seven years of funding increases in state aid has been a marked shift from former Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, which mostly kept state aid flat.

In the state’s 2024 budget, Murphy allotted $10.8 billion for school aid – an $832 million increase from the prior year, as well as $103 million in additional aid approved for school districts seeing reductions in funding based on adjustments to the formula. That budget also included $109 million for the state’s universal pre-K program and $40 million to expand other programs, such as workforce development.

Newark, the state’s largest school district, received $1.2 billion in state aid for the current fiscal year, which was an extra $114 million over last year. Valerie Wilson, the district’s school business administrator, noted last March that the increase in state aid was still $27.7 million short of the amount the district was owed under the formula. Roughly 86% of the district’s budget for the 2023-24 school year came from state aid.

Typically, in the days following the governor’s budget address, the state will send districts the estimated state aid they can expect based on the proposed spending plan. Districts use those estimates to finalize their own budget proposals for next school year.

More funding needed for school buildings

Murphy received a mix of praise and criticism from education organization leaders on his proposed spending plan for next year.

“His efforts to fully fund New Jersey’s education formula, including the proposed $11.7 billion in his FY2025 budget plan, have gone a long way towards meeting the educational needs of students across the state,” said Harry Lee, president and CEO of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association, in an emailed statement.

Still, Lee added, public charter schools are in “desperate need of facilities upgrades and renovations,” and he urged lawmakers to consider earmarking funding for the recently established Charter School and Renaissance School Project Facilities Loan Program.

Education Law Center research director Danielle Farrie pressed lawmakers to support Murphy’s school funding formula infusion during negotiations and to consider adding $1 million to support efforts to update the formula. In an emailed statement, she also noted the lack of funding for the Schools Development Authority.

“Reaching full state funding and supporting preschool are just a part of what’s needed to make sure all public schools have the resources to provide a thorough and efficient education for their students,” Farrie said.

The New Jersey Education Association, in a prepared statement, had high marks for the governor’s proposal, but the teachers union also called on legislators to institute “transition aid” for school districts that will see a reduction in funding due to various changes with enrollment or other factors.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Newark youth vote in school board elections delayed to 2025. Advocates look to get teens ready for next year

2024-02-16T21:49:00+00:00

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Leer en español.

Last month, the Newark City Council became the first in the state to lower the voting age to 16 in school board elections. But, the implementation will be delayed until the 2025 election due to voter registration issues, according to city officials.

Supporters and advocates of the lower voting age, which the city council instituted last month, are seeing the delay as an advantage — not a setback — in their efforts to use the expanded voting rights as a way to improve dismal voter turnout in the April school board races.

With the extra year, advocates aim to ensure as many young people as possible are “ready, educated, and empowered” to vote, they said in interviews this week.

“I think that it’s an excellent time for youth to be able to start to test the waters on what it means to fully grasp civic engagement and the power of being civically engaged,” said Shennell McCloud, chief executive officer of Project Ready, an advocacy nonprofit in Newark.

The city council’s unanimous approval of the historic ordinance last month made Newark the first in the state to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. But those teens will not be able to vote until next year’s school board election because state and county officials need more time to get voter registration machines and equipment programmed and tested, city clerk Kecia Daniels said in an email this week.

“It takes time to get this done,” Daniels said. “Everyone is working feverishly to effectuate the change as soon as possible.”

New Jersey’s Division of Elections, in the Secretary of State’s office, is managing the technical implementation of the Newark ordinance, according to the Essex County Superintendent of Elections office.

The voting rights expansion to Newark’s 16- and 17-year-olds received widespread approval from state and local leaders pushing young people to become more involved with the voting process. It also received praise from public school students like 16-year-old Science Park High School student Breanna Campbell, who told council members that it “feels good for this law to be passed” because it shows “how our voices can make a difference.”

Historically, turnout for the city’s school board election has hovered around 3% and some council members raised concerns that turnout could go even lower if teens don’t participate. Residents at last month’s meeting worried about the level of civic awareness among youth and questioned if they were prepared to participate in this year’s school board elections.

But advocates say Newark’s teens are eager to get involved and learn more about their new right to vote. The extra time will allow advocates to engage and educate youth who are already interested in the election and reach those who are not yet, said Deborah Smith Gregory, president of the Newark chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Her work mainly focuses on engaging city voters in school board and general elections. Smith Gregory said students have “mixed feelings” about the election “because they understand that without the proper education and empowerment, they could be manipulated by people.

“These young people are very savvy because they are looking at all sides to see what each side is doing and saying,” Smith Gregory said. “For them, it’s about what is going to result in the best quality of life for the people who will be represented.”

For more than a decade, the NAACP-Newark chapter, has held school board candidate forums in Newark ahead of the April elections. It’s important to the group that voters hear from candidates directly instead of by mailers or flyers, Smith Gregory said. They also invite students to ask questions of the candidates during those forums and will continue to stress that as Newark looks to engage city teens, she added.

The hope is that by reaching Newark’s young voters, they can also get through to their parents who may not understand the importance of voting, said Smith Gregory. They hope to continue their voter registration drives throughout city high schools.

“We have so many adults who are not engaged in the electoral process. We don’t want to have students become like these adults. We want them to be better than that,” she added.

McCloud, from Project Ready, wants to make it easier for young voters to cast their ballots by expanding opportunities for those who can’t make it to the polls on Election Day. Project Ready is working with Essex County election officials to set up ballot boxes outside all Newark schools so students can vote on and ahead of Election Day.

“They could be sick, they could be not in school, or they could be at work,” McCloud said. “So we want to make sure that they have that access through and through.”

They are also working with the county clerk’s office to create a task force of civic engagement organizations across the city that would develop a five-point plan to help young teens understand the voting process, outline the steps they need to take, and ultimately, become educated voters. The information gap is “a gap that exists across the city,” McCloud said, and her goal is to share candidate and election information so residents can make informed decisions.

In the meantime, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice wants to work with city and school officials to strategize civic engagement efforts for Newark’s new voters and work through the challenges related to voter registration. Micauri Vargas, associate counsel for the institute, said many students working on the institute’s campaign are eager to start working directly with Newark high schools and their peers.

This fall, the organization plans to educate students about their new rights, how to register to vote once the state clears its guidance, and the importance of school board elections, Vargas added. The group is also looking at voting accessibility.

“We’re making sure that materials are accessible in different languages, but also accessible for people with disabilities through vote-by-mail options and that all those things are available to everyone in the same way,” Vargas added.

Newark Council president LaMonica McIver, who sponsored the city ordinance, said her office is planning to work with all schools in Newark to push a civics campaign and host civic workshops for students and parents alike. McIver is “eager and excited” to see city teens participate in the school board election, a sentiment, Vargas said, is shared by this generation of voters.

“We’re not aware of all the logistics quite yet but this youth is just so ready. Everything I’ve heard so far has been so positive, and they’re ready to vote, I know that,” Vargas added.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

La votación de los jóvenes de Newark en elecciones de la junta escolar se retrasa hasta el 2025

2024-02-23T19:47:39+00:00

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El mes pasado, el Concejo Municipal de Newark se convirtió en el primero del estado en reducir la edad para votar a 16 años de edad en las elecciones de la junta escolar. Pero su implementación se retrasará hasta las elecciones de 2025 debido a problemas con el registro de votantes, según dieron a conocer funcionarios de la ciudad.

Los partidarios y defensores de la edad más baja para votar, que el concejo municipal instituyó el mes pasado, ven el retraso como una ventaja, no un revés, en sus esfuerzos por utilizar los derechos de voto ampliados como una forma de mejorar la deprimente participación de votantes en las elecciones de la junta escolar de abril. Con el año adicional, los defensores pretenden garantizar que la mayor cantidad posible de jóvenes estén “preparados, educados y empoderados” para votar, anunciaron en entrevistas esta semana.

“Creo que es un momento excelente para que los jóvenes puedan comenzar a probar lo que significa comprender plenamente el compromiso cívico y el poder de estar comprometido cívicamente”, manifestó Shennell McCloud, director ejecutivo de Project Ready, una organización de defensa sin fines de lucro en Newark.

La aprobación unánime del consejo municipal de la histórica ordenanza el mes pasado convirtió a Newark en el primero en el estado en reducir la edad para votar a 16 años para las elecciones de la junta escolar. Pero esos adolescentes no podrán votar hasta las elecciones de la junta escolar del próximo año porque los funcionarios estatales y del condado necesitan más tiempo para programar y probar las máquinas y equipos de registro de votantes, indicó la secretaria municipal Kecia Daniels en un correo electrónico esta semana.

“Se necesita tiempo para hacer esto”, señaló Daniels. “Todos están trabajando febrilmente para efectuar el cambio lo antes posible”.

La División de Elecciones de Nueva Jersey, en la oficina del Secretario de Estado, está gestionando la implementación técnica de la ordenanza de Newark, según la oficina del Superintendente de Elecciones del Condado de Essex.

La ampliación del derecho al voto a los jóvenes de 16 y 17 años de Newark recibió una amplia aprobación de los líderes estatales y locales que presionaron a los jóvenes para que se involucraran más en el proceso de votación. También recibió elogios de estudiantes de escuelas públicas como Breanna Campbell, estudiante de 16 años de Science Park High School, quien dijo a los miembros del consejo que “se siente bien que se apruebe esta ley” porque muestra “cómo nuestras voces pueden marcar la diferencia”.

Históricamente, la participación en las elecciones de la junta escolar de la ciudad ha rondado el 3% y algunos miembros del consejo expresaron su preocupación de que la participación podría disminuir aún más si los adolescentes no participan. Los residentes en la reunión del mes pasado estaban preocupados por el nivel de conciencia cívica entre los jóvenes y cuestionaron si estaban preparados para participar en las elecciones de la junta escolar de este año.

Pero los defensores dicen que los adolescentes de Newark están deseosos por involucrarse y aprender más sobre su nuevo derecho al voto. El tiempo adicional permitirá a los defensores involucrar y educar a los jóvenes que ya están interesados en las elecciones y llegar a aquellos que aún no lo están, manifestó Deborah Smith Gregory, presidenta del capítulo de Newark de la Asociación Nacional para el Progreso de las Personas de Color (NAACP, por sus siglas en inglés).

Su trabajo se centra principalmente en involucrar a los votantes de la ciudad en las elecciones generales y de la junta escolar. Smith Gregory indicó que los estudiantes tienen “sentimientos encontrados” acerca de las elecciones “porque entienden que sin la educación y el empoderamiento adecuados, la gente podría manipularlos”.

“Estos jóvenes son muy inteligentes porque miran a todos lados para ver qué hace y dice cada uno”, dijo Smith Gregory. “Para ellos, se trata de lo que resultará en la mejor calidad de vida para las personas que estarán representadas”.

Durante más de una década, la sección NAACP-Newark ha celebrado foros de candidatos a juntas escolares en Newark antes de las elecciones de abril. Es importante para el grupo que los votantes escuchen a los candidatos directamente en lugar de enviarles correos o volantes, indicó Smith Gregory. También invitan a los estudiantes a hacer preguntas a los candidatos durante esos foros y continuarán enfatizando eso mientras Newark busca involucrar a los adolescentes de la ciudad, agregó.

La esperanza es que, al llegar a los votantes jóvenes de Newark, también puedan llegar a sus padres, quienes tal vez no comprendan la importancia de votar, dijo Smith Gregory. Esperan continuar con sus campañas de registro de votantes en todas las escuelas secundarias de la ciudad.

“Tenemos tantos adultos que no participan en el proceso electoral. No queremos que los estudiantes se vuelvan como estos adultos. Queremos que sean mejores que eso”, añadió.

McCloud, de Project Ready, quiere facilitar que los votantes jóvenes emitan su voto ampliando las oportunidades para aquellos que no pueden acudir a las urnas el día de las elecciones. Project Ready está trabajando con funcionarios electorales del condado de Essex para instalar urnas fuera de todas las escuelas de Newark para que los estudiantes puedan votar durante y antes del día de las elecciones.

“Podrían estar enfermos, no estar en la escuela o estar en el trabajo”, apuntó McCloud. “Por eso queremos asegurarnos de que tengan ese acceso de principio a fin”.

También están trabajando con la oficina del secretario del condado para crear un grupo de trabajo de organizaciones de participación cívica en toda la ciudad que desarrollaría un plan de cinco puntos para ayudar a los adolescentes a comprender el proceso de votación, delinear los pasos que deben tomar y, en última instancia, convertirse en votantes educados. La brecha de información es “una brecha que existe en toda la ciudad”, dijo McCloud, y su objetivo es compartir información sobre candidatos y elecciones para que los residentes puedan tomar decisiones informadas.

Mientras tanto, el Instituto para la Justicia Social de Nueva Jersey quiere trabajar con funcionarios municipales y escolares para diseñar estrategias de esfuerzos de participación cívica para los nuevos votantes de Newark y superar los desafíos relacionados con el registro de votantes. Micauri Vargas, abogada asociada del instituto, dijo que muchos estudiantes que trabajan en la campaña del instituto están ansiosos por comenzar a trabajar directamente con las escuelas secundarias de Newark y sus compañeros.

Este otoño, la organización planea educar a los estudiantes sobre sus nuevos derechos, cómo registrarse para votar una vez que el estado apruebe sus directrices y la importancia de las elecciones de la junta escolar, añadió Vargas. El grupo también está analizando la accesibilidad al voto.

“Nos estamos asegurando de que los materiales sean accesibles en diferentes idiomas, pero también accesibles para personas con discapacidades a través de opciones de voto por correo y que todas esas cosas estén disponibles para todos de la misma manera”, agregó Vargas.

LaMonica McIver, presidenta del Consejo de Newark, quien patrocinó la ordenanza de la ciudad, dijo que su oficina planea trabajar con todas las escuelas de Newark para impulsar una campaña cívica y organizar talleres cívicos para estudiantes y padres por igual. McIver está “ansiosa y emocionada” de ver a los adolescentes de la ciudad participar en las elecciones de la junta escolar, un sentimiento, dijo Vargas, que comparte esta generación de votantes.

“Aún no conocemos toda la logística, pero esta juventud está muy preparada. Todo lo que he escuchado hasta ahora ha sido muy positivo y están listos para votar, lo sé”, agregó Vargas.

Esta traducción fue proporcionada por El Latino Newspaper, en asociación con el Centro de Medios Cooperativos de la Universidad Estatal de Montclair, y cuenta con el apoyo financiero del Consorcio de Información Cívica de NJ. La historia fue escrita originalmente en inglés por Chalkbeat Newark y se vuelve a publicar en virtud de un acuerdo especial para compartir contenido a través del Servicio de noticias de traducción al español de NJ News Commons.

This translation was provided by El Latino Newspaper, in association with the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and is financially supported by the NJ Civic Information Consortium. The story was originally written in English by Chalkbeat Newark and is republished under a special content sharing agreement through the NJ News Commons Spanish Translation News Service.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

NJ denies Newark charter school from entering Jersey City, blocks expansion of another for third time

2024-02-22T20:11:33+00:00

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The state’s acting education commissioner denied the expansion of two Newark charter schools – marking another year of slowdown to charter growth – while approving a small-scale charter school for renewal due to above-average state test scores.

New Jersey blocked LEAD Charter School, an alternative public charter school, from expanding into Jersey City, and for the third time in a row, denied Roseville Community Charter School’s request to expand. The state also renewed The Gray Charter School’s agreement to operate until 2029.

Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan sent charter school decision letters on Jan. 31 to schools statewide that were seeking renewals or amendments to their charter agreements, including requests to renew charter applications, add a grade level, or increase seats. Allen-McMillan cited low enrollment and “stagnant levels” of achievement on state tests as reasons for denying the charter school expansion requests this year.

During this school year’s amendment and renewal process, the state made decisions on 15 charter school requests statewide.

“The New Jersey Department of Education has a rigorous framework for reviewing and approving all expansions and renewals of public charter schools throughout the state,” said Michael Yaple, the department’s spokesman in an email this month.

The decisions “ensure existing charter schools can continue collaborating with their communities and the State to best serve students and improve educational outcomes,” Yaple added.

In total, the state approved eight expansion requests for charter schools in Paterson, Hoboken, Jersey City, Lakewood, and Perth Amboy, as well as three in Plainfield, according to the state education department’s approval letters obtained by Chalkbeat. A school in Bridgeton was granted a decrease in enrollment and three charter schools in Plainfield, Egg Harbor Township, and Perth Amboy were approved for renewals but placed on probation.

During this year’s renewal and amendment process, the department received 2,181 requests for seat expansions but only recommended the expansion of 1,675. It also granted the reduction of 85 seats.

The state’s latest decisions come as Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has denied requests for charter school expansions over the last few years – a shift from his predecessor, Chris Christie, who oversaw the charter school boom in Newark and appointed state superintendents to oversee the public schools.

It also comes as Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León continues to acquire former school properties and expand district schools. León, a district graduate and the first superintendent appointed under local control, has been clear about his attempt to stop the expansion of charter schools, which are privately run but publicly funded schools.

State cites low enrollment, test scores in denial letters

Among the three decisions in Newark, The Gray Charter School, located near the border of the Ironbound neighborhood in the city, was renewed for five years through June 30, 2029, with a maximum enrollment of 420 students. It will continue to serve kindergarten through ninth grade students.

In 2023, Gray School students surpassed statewide proficiency levels in English language arts and math, according to the state’s decision letter. Specifically, 75.2% of students reached proficiency levels in the subject compared to the state’s 51.3% proficiency rate. The city’s public school district achieved a 29% proficiency rate.

LEAD, which requested to add Jersey City to its charter agreement but was denied, is an alternative public charter high school designed to serve youth 16-21 years old who are not participating in school or the workforce, as well as undercredited students from the public school district.

Its request to expand to Jersey City was aimed at helping youth in that city, according to the organization. The state also denied LEAD’s request to expand its maximum enrollment from 480 seats to 780 for the next school year.

According to Allen-McMillian’s letter, the school has not met its maximum student enrollment since it started operating in 2017. If there is available space at a school, charter schools may enroll non-resident students, which removes the need to expand LEAD to Jersey City and increase its enrollment, according to the letter. The school has been under probation since 2021.

“We appreciate the Department of Education’s review of LEAD’s application to serve disconnected youth in Jersey City and respect the decision they have made. Our students in Newark will continue to excel at LEAD as they receive education and job training services that prepare them for postsecondary success,” said Robert Clark, founder and CEO of Newark Opportunity Youth Network, which operates the school.

Roseville, which saw a denial to its expansion request for a third year in a row, is a small school serving grades kindergarten through fourth. In February 2022 and 2023, the state rejected its request to add a fifth grade and to increase its enrollment cap by 66 students to 396.

This year, Roseville requested the same expansion but the commissioner’s decision letter in January said the percentage of students meeting or exceeding proficiency on statewide assessments “presents moderate concerns regarding RCCS’ ability to provide high-quality instruction across all content areas and does not support the requested expansion at this time.”

Specifically, the “continual decrease and relative stagnant levels” of achievement on state tests “do not demonstrate the organization systems in place” to support the school’s expansion request – reasons the state also cited in its 2022 and 2023 denial letters for not approving Roseville’s expansion. The school has also seen a shrinking waitlist and has not met its enrollment limit, according to the commissioner’s letter.

In 2019, 35.3% of Roseville students reached proficiency levels in English language arts, which is below the state’s 57.9% proficiency rate that year, the state’s letter cited. In Newark Public Schools, 36.3% reached proficiency that year.

In 2023, proficiency levels in English language arts dropped across the board and 33.3% of Roseville students reached proficiency levels. Students across the state achieved a 51.3% proficiency rate and 32.2% of Newark Public Schools students attained proficiency levels in the subject that year.

Last year, the state approved the expansion of two charter schools and approved the merger of two others to form one K-12 school. The state approved 11 out of 14 expansion requests for charter schools in 2023.

There are 85 charter schools across the state with more than 60,000 students enrolled, according to New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association’s 2023 data. In Newark, 20,450 students attend charter schools, with several large charter networks making up the bulk of them. KIPP alone has 12 schools in the city with over 6,000 students.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school leader returns home, aims to create joyful and welcoming classrooms

2024-02-15T11:45:00+00:00

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Islah Tauheed’s return to Newark schools is a much-anticipated homecoming that carries on her family’s legacy.

The Newark native who recently became vice principal of Avon Avenue Elementary School comes from generations of educators and advocates for public education in the city. She started her career at the now-closed Miller Street School, where her grandmother went to school as a child. Her grandmother later became a school cafeteria worker and Tauheed’s mother spent 30 years as a special education teacher in the city.

As a school leader, Tauheed is now focused on creating a welcoming environment for new immigrant students and a joyful workplace for staff. She’s also prioritizing small group literacy instruction for K-3 classes.

When we last caught up with her, Tauheed was teaching English language arts at P.S. 567 Linden Tree Elementary School in the Bronx. After 12 years there, she returned to Newark last summer. “I thrived as an educator in New York City, but for every amazing thing I did, there was a voice in the back of my head that said, ‘I wish I was doing this for my own community,’” she said in a recent interview with Chalkbeat Newark.

In her new role, she works closely with Kinyetta Bird, a first-year principal at Avon Elementary. For Tauheed, this holds special meaning to be able to work alongside someone whom she identifies closely with, she says.

“Being a young Black woman leader and having her mentorship has been life-changing even in these short few months,” Tauheed said of Bird. “It changes your confidence to feel affirmed, validated, and understood. We speak often of how representation matters to students — but it matters to leaders as well.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What issues have come up for you as a school leader this school year, and how have you addressed them?

This is my third year as a school leader, but my first as a school leader in Newark. One major event happening this year is an influx of newly immigrated students into our school. This is a demographic shift for this community which has historically been largely African American, African, and Caribbean. As a leadership team, we are prioritizing hiring more Spanish-speaking staff. Our climate and culture committee came up with a welcome plan for families to reduce feelings of isolation. We’ve also moved to a more inclusive model where our new students are supported by our ESL teachers beyond pull-out services. Our teachers are helping our new students within all content areas, including math.

Another less tangible effort this year is creating a culture of joyful persistence within our school. With all the demands in education, this job needs to feel sustainable. Our community has experienced a lot of loss due to COVID and instances of violence. It was a priority for us to balance giving grace to the staff, understanding that change is not easy, while also holding high expectations for academics. The wellness of both students and staff is promoted within our school. For example, my principal holds Wellness Wednesdays, during which our physical education teacher leads morning yoga for the staff. The care that the staff feels trickles down to the students.

How is your team helping younger students boost their reading levels and refine their literacy skills?

My young learners are busy! To support building and maintaining those foundational literacy skills, we implement daily small group work where there is a focus on phonics and phonemic awareness. Teaching early elementary school for 14 years, I’m aware that managing small groups is tough for a classroom teacher to do on their own, especially with the other daily demands.

I work very closely with my literacy coach, my academic interventionists, my resource teachers, and my amazing paraprofessionals to provide support for my classroom teachers. They push in during the literacy block and assist with small group instruction every single day. There are no fewer than three adults leading small group work daily in my kindergarten through third grade classes — it’s all hands on deck!

I say that teaching reading is rocket science and that all my teachers are action researchers. We spend lots of time progress monitoring and analyzing data so that we are responsive to student needs and adjusting instruction accordingly. We’ve been seeing movement, especially in the second grade, where 93% of the students have moved reading levels. It’s lots of work but it’s work of love, and I’m really proud and grateful to my team for passionately jumping on board.

Islah Tauheed is the vice principal at Avon Elementary School in Newark.

How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

This is an ongoing challenge as I’ve been trying to establish a work-life balance since I’ve entered education, but The Nap Ministry has been instrumental in me seeing rest as a revolution.

Part of my rest is seeking out spaces of comfort. I find being in nature really grounding, yet challenging when you live in an urban city. But even on my busiest days, I’ll drive to a park and sit by the river and feel the air on my skin.

I also love to cook, which many may find as more work! However, I enjoy putting meals together. Cooking is a creative outlet for me. I subscribe to NYT Cooking, and I try new recipes whenever I can. Lastly, everyone who knows me knows that I love to travel. Catch me on a plane!

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

People’s Prep to leave Bard High School building as Newark Public Schools looks to expand amid rising enrollment

2024-02-14T11:00:00+00:00

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This summer a Newark charter school will vacate the space it has rented from the city’s public schools for more than a decade, the latest move in the district’s push to reclaim school properties as enrollment rebounds.

People’s Preparatory Charter School will leave its location inside the Bard Early College High School building following a nearly four-year legal battle with Newark Public Schools over whether the school breached its contract by using more space than permitted under the lease, failing to pay past rent for the extra space, and, ultimately, interfering with the expansion of Bard.

The departure, set to happen by July 15, will allow the public school district to increase enrollment at Bard this fall, the district has said. It also reflects a step forward in Superintendent Roger León’s strategy to reclaim public school buildings and expand the district as student enrollment has increased over recent years.

When the district was under state control, from 1995 until 2020, state-appointed superintendents closed many public schools while the charter sector rapidly expanded. León, a Newark Public Schools graduate who moved up the district ladder and was appointed to his role in May 2018, has been clear about his attempt to stop the expansion of charter schools, which are privately run but publicly funded schools.

Last year, the district appealed the state’s decision to expand North Star Academy Charter School by arguing that the school did not meet enrollment demands that warranted an expansion, placed a financial burden on the public schools, and created “a segregative effect” on the school system.

León also called for the closure of People’s Prep in a 2020 letter he sent to state education leaders considering a renewal for the charter to operate in Newark. He argued that the charter school’s presence in the shared building had prevented Bard from expanding.

People’s Prep’s expected move comes a year after the state’s department of education approved a merger between the school and Achieve Community Charter School to create a new K-12 Newark school renamed Gateway Academy, a partner of the BRICK Education Network with schools in Newark and Buffalo, New York.

Bard is a selective magnet high school in Newark where students can earn associate degrees from New York’s Bard College. The expansion of the school will allow the district to enroll “as many students who wish to graduate from high school with an associate’s degree,” said Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering.

Former People’s Prep executive director Keith Robinson is now the Newark Regional Superintendent at BRICK Education network serving the new Gateway Academy school. In an email to Chalkbeat Newark last week, he wrote that the merger between the schools “ensures 8th graders have a guaranteed seat at a high-quality high school with more than a decade of college access and persistence experience.”

Tensions between NPS and People’s Prep grew over the years

People’s Prep is a small charter high school that has rented space in the Bard building since 2011. It welcomed 95 ninth graders that year, growing to a total enrollment of 340 for the 2022-23 school year, according to state fall enrollment data. The school’s lease for the space at Bard was created under former state-appointed Superintendent Cami Anderson and amended five times with rent increasing with each amendment.

The district’s August 2020 lawsuit against People’s Prep claimed the school breached its contract by “exceeding the square footage area permitted under the lease.” The lawsuit also claimed People’s Prep interfered with the district’s ability to provide the “highest quality of educational services to its students.” The lawsuit does not specify how much money People’s Prep owed.

The charter school alleged in a counterclaim that a year before the lawsuit, the district was trying to suppress charter enrollment by instituting “arbitrary caps” as part of its universal enrollment system, Newark Enrolls. The tensions between the district and charter schools grew after the enrollment system was revamped in 2019. In 2022, People’s Prep and six other charter networks broke away from their longstanding agreement with the district to participate in Newark Enrolls and instead signed on to a new enrollment platform.

The case between People’s Prep and the district was dismissed in 2023, but the settlement details are not available due to amendments to a state law barring the release of records about tenants who faced eviction over unpaid rent during the pandemic but were not ultimately evicted.

In an email to Chalkbeat Newark last week, Thomas Johnston of the Johnston Law Firm, who represented People’s Prep, wrote “Gateway Academy Charter School is pleased to have settled those differences with Newark District.”

In November 2022, People’s Prep purchased the historic Temple B’nai Abraham building at 621 Clinton Avenue in the South Ward for $2.5 million, according to property records.

Robinson said parents have been informed about People’s Prep’s move and school officials have a plan for where the school will be next year. School officials expected to share the news about the move with families at last week’s parent-teacher conferences, but have not confirmed if they disclosed where People’s Prep would move to.

León aims to acquire properties and expand district

Newark Public Schools said it is reviewing leases with other charter schools it houses for the “possible return of those school properties to the Board of Education,” according to a January district committee report. It is also looking to reclaim 12 district buildings previously transferred to the city under Anderson.

In 2020, the district sued the Newark Housing Authority, claiming it violated the agreement that the city would sell the buildings and return most of the profits to the school system. Among those properties is the Maple Avenue School, a former district school shuttered in 2015, and State Street School, Newark’s oldest school building.

In 2017, the city sold the Maple Avenue property for $1.2 million to Newark-based developer Hanini Group. In 2020, the property was sold for $10 million to a nonprofit connected to KIPP New Jersey, another charter school operator in Newark, and now houses KIPP Seek Academy.

Last year, the district also repurchased State Street school from the Hanini Group but details about the agreement between the public schools and the developer have not been disclosed, according to documents in a 2023 lawsuit filed by Skyway Publishing LLC, a New Jersey-based company that publishes TAPInto Newark, against the district over the agreement. The district plans to renovate the school as a district museum, León has previously said. The district remains in court to acquire the rest of the properties previously held by Newark Public Schools.

Last March, the district obtained the former four-story University Heights Charter School building. The charter school struggled to improve student test scores, increase enrollment, and retain its leadership team before the state shut it down. The building was then purchased by the state’s School Development Authority in 2022, which pays for school construction projects in 31 high-poverty districts, including Newark.

The school building was transferred to the district as part of the state’s promise to provide it with a new prekindergarten through eighth grade school. The building reopened this school year as the new Mandela Elementary School and is part of the district’s five-year capital plan. Property records show the building and land are valued at roughly $6.6 million but list the sale price as $1.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board of Education swears in two new members, passes on charter school teacher

2024-01-26T11:00:00+00:00

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After months of uncertainty, during which the Newark Board of Education refused to swear in a charter school teacher chosen to fill an empty seat, the board welcomed two new members on Thursday night.

Helena Vinhas and Kanileah Anderson were sworn in at a ceremony at Newark Vocational High School during this month’s school board meeting. Family members joined Vinhas and Anderson on stage as they took their oaths of office, and later, seats as appointed board members during the meeting.

Community residents, family members, and council members Larry Crump and Michael Silva cheered in the audience as they celebrated the long-time residents, who will serve until April’s school board elections.

The inductions come after the board did not swear in Thomas Luna, a KIPP charter school teacher, to fill one of the empty seats after it first unanimously chose him to join the board in October. A two-time school board candidate, Luna could run for a seat on the nine-member board come April.

Earlier this month, Nancy Deering, the district’s spokesperson said the board had no plans to swear in Luna at school board meetings in January, Deering added.

Vinhas, the vice president of Mayor Ras Baraka’s Commission on the Status of Women, a jewelry store operator, and mother of two public school students, received support from Silva. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, he said Vinhas’ presence on the board would mark the first time in nearly a decade that his ward would have a voice on the school board.

Vinhas, who is also a volunteer with the Science Park Parent-Teacher-Student Organization, said Thursday that she accepted the challenge to become a school board member to give back to the community that raised her and her brother and provided her immigrant parents with an opportunity to build a business in Newark.

She also highlighted issues she wants to address such as overcrowded schools, outdated facilities, and the need for more specialized and foreign language teachers.

“I am committed to the charge and I promise to work to the best of my ability to help ensure the voiceless are given a voice. I say that because our eastward has needed representation for quite some time,” Vinhas said.

Helena Vinhas was sworn onto the Newark Board of Education on Jan. 25.

Anderson is known for her community work and advocacy work with Newark students. In the past, Anderson has rallied around education issues and also supported the rights of students with disabilities through advocacy for her daughter who attended Newark schools.

On Thursday, Anderson called herself “a social worker by career and by heart, I am a giver, a doer, and an achiever.” She comes from a family of advocates and community leaders and her induction to the board reminded her of her grandmother, who in 1987 was also appointed to the board to fill a vacancy.

“So you know, it’s in our bloodline,” Anderson said. “There’s power, there is success. There is a lot of greatness and I want to pour into everyone up here with me and I am hopeful that we do extremely well to move the district and the city forward.”

During Tuesday’s business meeting, board members interviewed seven candidates, including Anderson and Vinhas, vying to fill two empty seats — one vacated by former president Asia Norton in November, which was slated for Luna, and another by former member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas who won a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners in November.

Kanileah Anderson was joined by her family on stage as she was sworn onto the Newark Board of Education on Jan. 25, 2024.

At Tuesday’s meeting, President Hasani Council did not explain why the board decided not to seat Luna. Instead, he attributed the decision to a public records request that triggered a review of school board candidate applications last fall and their eligibility for the board. The request also triggered a review of School Ethics Commission opinions, principles of the School Ethics Act, and other school laws, said Council on Tuesday.

Last week, the New Jersey Children’s Foundation sent a six-page legal memo to the Newark school board that recommended the board seat Luna as a board member. The memo concluded there is no legal basis for the delay in swearing him in after he was chosen by the board to fill a vacancy.

As a result of the review, the board in December decided not to swear anyone into office, Council added.

Luna, who has twice run for the school board, said last week that he had not heard from the board or district about his role since the December school board meeting when a motion to swear him in failed but failed by a 4-2 vote, with two abstentions. He did not comment on the new appointments.

Past board members have held ties to the KIPP charter school network while serving on the board.

In 2021, Murray-Thomas’ appointment to the board of directors of the KIPP Foundation, a nonprofit that assists KIPP charter schools through training and fundraising, sparked ethics questions.

Both Vinhas and Anderson could decide to run in the April 16 school board election for their seat when the city’s 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote for the first time in history. They have not publicly said yet if they will run in April.

Residents interested in running for a seat on the school board must submit their applications to the Newark Board of Education by Feb. 26.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Judge to review Global Studies report as part of Newark Teachers Union’s open records lawsuit

2024-01-24T22:25:25+00:00

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Newark Public Schools officials have two weeks to provide a state Superior Court judge with a copy of the report on the cultural dynamics at the Newark School of Global Studies to determine whether it can be released publicly.

The scathing report, which the district has not made public, was commissioned after incidents of racial harassment against Black students and staff at the high school surfaced more than a year ago. The Newark Teachers Union sued the district in November for access to the report after its public-records request was denied.

Judge Mayra Tarantino on Tuesday ordered the district to submit the document by Feb. 6 for the court’s private review. The judge also called for both sides to submit arguments on whether the report should be public record and whether any materials held by Creed Strategies, the consulting firm that compiled the report, are also subject to the Open Public Records Act.

Raymond Baldino, an associate at the Zazzali law firm representing the teachers union said the union requested the court’s private review of the document “rather than accept the district’s claim at face value that the report cannot be made public.”

The next hearing for this case hasn’t been scheduled, Baldino said. The district could appeal the judge’s order, he said, but attorneys have not had any discussions about that or a settlement.

Nancy Deering, the district’s spokesperson, and Craig Novak of the Taylor Law Group, who represents the district on the case, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

In documents submitted to the court in December, Superintendent Roger León argued that releasing the report would have a “chilling effect” on discussions about racial dialogue and sensitivity practices at Newark School of Global Studies and districtwide.

The new court order comes amid persistent tensions between the community and the district over the lack of solutions and transparency on the issue after incidents of harassment against Black students and staff at the high school first surfaced in late 2022. The issues sparked heavy criticism from the community about the response from school and district leaders, who had known about the problems months before they became public.

The situation resulted in at least half a dozen Black students requesting transfers out of the high school and two Black teachers resigning. The former teachers have also filed legal claims with state and federal offices, alleging they experienced harassment and racial hostility from students and supervisors.

In early 2023, the Newark school board commissioned a report on the cultural, religious, and racial dynamics at Global Studies High School. But later that year, León said the report would not be released publicly despite requests from members and community leaders. The district last fall shared only parts of the report that contained three recommendations for the district.

The union filed a public records request for access to the full report on Sept. 29, 2023, arguing that it has an interest in the release of the report and in knowing of any changes or recommendations to the district’s approach to handling student and staff issues related to “anti-Blackness” or “cultural sensitivity,” ultimately affecting teachers in the district.

The district denied the request, citing a legal exemption that allows some draft documents or advisory documents to be withheld from the public. Other parties, including Chalkbeat Newark, have also requested access to the report.

The recommendations released in the fall called on the district to assess the effects of “anti-Blackness” on the school system, foster conversations about racial issues, build school staff capacity to identify cultural gaps, and create an environment that is racially conscious and inclusive.

The recommendations came as the high school’s vice principal, Hoda Abdelwahab, left the district. She was among those called out by community leaders during board meetings and in legal claims filed by former teachers at the high school for handling the issues poorly.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark and Camden square off in 2024 FAFSA challenge

2024-01-23T20:32:10+00:00

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Newark is going head-to-head against Camden in a first-ever competition to see which city can achieve the highest federal student aid application rate.

The city with the highest completion rate for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, or FAFSA, will receive a cash prize for their class of 2024 seniors and high schools, education leaders from both cities said Tuesday at dueling press conferences in Newark and Camden.

The friendly contest is meant to motivate students to pursue higher education, said Barbara Martinez, executive director of the New Jersey Children’s Foundation and sponsor of the competition along with the Camden Education Fund.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a former teacher, wished students and families good luck during the press conference in his city as he teased Camden with “friendly competition.”

“This gives us an opportunity, in a fun way, to push our young people, push our teachers, our educators, the leaders of our institutions to get folks to work,” Baraka said.

In total, $70,000 will be awarded to high schools in both cities with the New Jersey Children’s Foundation and the Camden Education Fund each contributing $30,000 in prize money for the schools with the highest completion rates in their respective cities. In addition, the organization in the losing city will pay an extra $10,000 to the winning city’s organization to be distributed to participating schools.

Newark, New Jersey’s largest school district, made completing the FAFSA application a graduation requirement in 2022. State leaders are hoping this year’s seniors will tap into federal funds by requiring that high schools in the state provide graduating seniors with the FAFSA form before they receive their diplomas.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed that mandate into law last week. It applies to high school juniors this school year who will be required to fill out the form online when it becomes available in October 2024. Other states, including Louisiana and Illinois, also have similar requirements.

FAFSA is the only way students can apply for federal financial aid, Pell Grants for low-income families, state aid packages, work-study programs, and money directly from colleges. Graduating seniors who are undocumented must complete the New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application (HESAA).

FAFSA helps many states and colleges determine financial aid for qualifying students, but tens of thousands of dollars go unclaimed yearly for undergraduate and associate degrees and technical or career schools.

Newark Superintendent Roger León, who was at the press conference in Newark, said getting students to complete their application is part of the district’s “ongoing process” to ensure students are financially prepared for college, trade school, or other eligible certificate programs. The district is also working to provide information to students and families about FAFSA, the most critical part of their work in this process, León added.

“Obviously, the Office of Student Life, which was created in 2018, when I started, is a big part of the catalyst of making sure that students are aware of different scholarship opportunities that are available,” León said

During Tuesday’s press conference, Macai Fields, an Eagle Academy graduate and senior at Saint Elizabeth University, said he felt thankful he learned about FAFSA and completed the form despite how overwhelming it seemed. Currently, he works with Eagle Academy seniors to help them navigate the process.

“When I was in their shoes looking for schools, I quickly realized that the cost of tuition and other expenses could be quite overwhelming,” Fields said. “But FAFSA provided a sense of relief by helping me understand that financial aid was available based on my family resources and circumstances.”

Shayaka Wilson, a West Side High School alum and 2022 Rutgers University graduate, said as a first-generation college graduate and immigrant, she knew how important it was to get that aid. Wilson always knew she wanted to go to college, but when she first moved to the country, she was concerned about how she would be able to afford it without taking on significant debt.

“I know there are families here in the city who have a similar concern as I did and they think college is out of reach or not even an option,” Wilson said. “I want you as a young person to think of it as an application that the government uses to determine your family’s financial strength and whether they would be able to fund your college education.”

In New Jersey, roughly $92 million in unclaimed Pell Grant money was left on the table by the class of 2022, according to data from the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, National College Attainment Network. In 2021, roughly $90 million was left by Garden State graduating seniors, according to the same data.

In 2022, the state’s graduating class had a 57.4% FAFSA completion rate. But rates vary among cities, states, and school districts – with the lowest performing below 50% and the highest over 70%, according to a Rutgers University Cornwall Center report.

As of 2022. 24.9% of Newark residents aged 25 and older hold an associate degree or bachelor’s degree, said Robyn Brady Ince, executive director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative, during Tuesday’s press conference. She said initiatives such as the FAFSA contest “will provide what we need to galvanize more people toward achieving those goals.”

The winner of the competition will be announced in April and results will be uploaded on a tracker online daily, Martinez said.

This year, the FAFSA process opened on Dec. 31 rather than Oct. 1 after the U.S. Department of Education said the delays were due to the launch of a shorter, more simplified version of their form now called the Better FAFSA.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Teachers Union wants its second contract under local control to go beyond 2019 deal

2024-01-22T15:16:27+00:00

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The Newark Teachers Union is negotiating a “historic” and “unprecedented” contract that demands higher salaries, more autonomy, and respect for teachers, says union President John Abeigon.

Negotiators for the union and the district held their first meeting on Jan. 11 to discuss the contract. If approved, it will be the second contract for teachers since the state ended its 23-year takeover of Newark Public Schools in 2018 and the third union negotiation with Superintendent Roger León since he was appointed by the city’s school board in 2018. It would replace the union’s 2019 contract, which expires at the end of June.

“We look forward to successful negotiations over the next few months for the benefit of our staff and the ultimate beneficiaries, our students,” said Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering.

The end of the state’s takeover of the district signaled a change for teachers who had long wrestled with New Jersey officials about the declining conditions in city schools and their roles in them.

The union’s 2019 contract, for instance, ended the practice of paying teachers based on their students’ performance, rather than how many years they spent in the district or the degrees they attained – a provision of the union’s 2012 contract. In the past, the union head fought incessantly with state-appointed superintendents Cami Anderson and Christopher Cerf, resulting in tense negotiations and public feuds.

Anderson, who was superintendent from 2011 to 2015, closed and consolidated schools causing a pool of displaced educators in the district, and she oversaw the city’s rapid expansion of charter schools. Cerf, who replaced Anderson in 2015, was also criticized by teachers and community advocates for his charter-friendly stance and for closing low-performing schools in the city.

Today, Abeigon, who was elected as union president in 2015, has a more amicable relationship with León. Regardless of who is on the opposite side of negotiations, though, Abeigon said his team is focused on fighting to improve teachers’ current working conditions.

“We will continue to fight for those same things we gained in 2019 but instead of stopping at where we once were, we intend to move beyond that, and forge new territory and create a mecca for teachers who wish to be recognized in the manner the profession demands,” Abeigon added.

The union will continue to negotiate with the district every Thursday until they reach a deal, Abeigon said.

Pay raises for teachers

In 2019, the union reached a deal to raise salaries by 2.9% the first year with raises growing each year, capping at 3.3% in the 2023-24 school year. The contract also included pay increases for advanced degrees, substitute teachers and aides, and more planning time for teachers.

Now, the union is looking to secure the highest teacher salary in the country, Abeigon said. Currently, New York teachers have the highest average salary in the nation, with some earning over $90,000 a year, according to 2021-22 data from the National Education Association. In New Jersey, the average teaching salary hovers around $79,000 annually, according to the same data.

In June 2022, the district agreed to raise the starting salary for new teachers to $62,000 a year after it negotiated with the union as part of a recruitment strategy amid staffing shortages during the pandemic.

Abeigon says higher pay means more respect for teachers who are still working through the negative effects of the pandemic on students, such as learning loss and an increase in mental health needs. It also communicates more respect for teachers, Abeigon added, which in turn, retains them, a problem the district has endured amid teacher and principal turnover.

“With a higher salary, we’ll be able to recruit and retain the best,” Abeigon said.

Improving working conditions to keep teachers in Newark

But pay alone won’t keep teachers from leaving the district, Abeigon said. Uniformity and more teacher involvement in the decision-making processes will help retain teachers, he said.

Teachers need more educational responsibilities and less pressure to fulfill duties outside of their teaching role, Abeigon said. Some teachers have been asked to serve as security guards, fix classroom leaks, or other tasks outside their day-to-day duties, he said. District leaders also need to focus on teacher and staff morale, as some face burnout and frustration.

He envisions a “teacher-led” school district that relies on everyone to do their job, said Abeigon.

“You show me the school and I’ll tell you the level of morale. Some of them are so worn that the morale is in the basement,” Abeigon said.

Other teachers are frustrated with changing curriculums, inefficient professional development, and lack of understanding of the challenges they face in the classroom, Abeigon said. They plan on creating a schoolwide and districtwide curriculum committee that oversees curricula across all grade levels and helps workshop those lessons with teachers. The goal is to have uniformity across the district and leave decisions about learning to teachers.

“Let’s replace the useless mandates, and the time consuming data consumption with responsibilities, educational responsibilities,” Abeigon added.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New Jersey Children’s Foundation commissions legal memo, recommends seating Thomas Luna to school board

2024-01-18T11:00:00+00:00

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A new legal memo commissioned by the New Jersey Children’s Foundation concludes that there is no legal basis for the delay in seating a charter school teacher to Newark’s school board nearly three months after he was chosen to fill a seat.

The six-page memo, sent to the Newark Board of Education last Thursday, is a review and analysis of the unanimous vote in October for Thomas Luna to fill a vacancy and details the “current legal precedent” of his delay in being sworn onto the board. It outlines seven findings and concludes that “not seating Mr. Luna would violate the board’s legal authority and Board policy.”

The memo, drafted by William F. Koy, a partner at the Morristown-based William Koy law firm and former Mountain Lakes superintendent of schools, is meant to address questions Newark school board members may have about seating board members, said Barbara Martinez, executive director of the Children’s Foundation, a charter school-aligned nonprofit advocating for the improvement of public education systems. The memo does not signal a lawsuit against the district, Martinez added.

“We hope that this assists the Board in fulfilling their duties to fill open board seats,” Martinez said.

Since Luna was unanimously chosen to fill the vacancy, neither district officials nor board members have spelled out the reasons for not seating him. The only indication of why he has not assumed the seat came during November’s school board meeting when Board President Hasani Council attributed the delay to information the board received from a public records request and a review of School Ethics Commission opinions regarding conflicts of interest for board members.

Luna, who has twice run for the school board, said that he had not heard from the board or district about his role since the December school board meeting, when a motion to swear him in failed by a 4-2 vote, with two abstentions.

“I have yet to be placed on the agenda to be sworn in,” Luna added last week. “It is unclear, to myself or any member of the public, what exactly is warranting the lack of due process. What is clear is that this situation is incongruent with precedence, process, and protocol.”

The vacancy slated for Luna was left by former president Asia Norton and has been unfilled since Sept. 18, 2023, when Norton announced her resignation two weeks after the start of the school year. Council was sworn in as president shortly after her departure.

The new memo comes as district spokesperson Nancy Deering said last week that there are two vacancies on the school board, including the seat slated for Luna and an opening created when former member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas won a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners in November. There are no plans to swear in Luna at school board meetings in January, Deering added.

She did not respond to a request for comment about the legal memo sent to the board last week.

Memo provides ‘legal background’ for seating members

Koy’s analysis cites legal precedent that Luna should have been sworn in November, a month after board members unanimously voted for him to fill a vacancy. It further says that neither state law nor board policies allow the board “to refuse to seat a person appointed by a majority vote.”

It also addresses ethical issues concerning board members and conflicts of interest.

Under state law, the School Ethics Commission has the sole jurisdiction to investigate ethics complaints against school board members in New Jersey. If the Newark board believes Luna’s employment with a KIPP charter school could violate the School Ethics Act, they should seek an advisory opinion from the commission or file a complaint with them after seating Luna, according to the memo.

Additionally, the memo found that the commission “would not penalize” the Newark board or any actions it takes with Luna as a sitting board member. It would only do so if a board member “participated in the voting or deliberation” of a specific action they would benefit personally from, according to the memo.

The state’s School Ethics Commission has not received any complaints against Luna, said Mike Yaple, spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Education in an email to Chalkbeat Newark in December. He added that ethics complaints can only be filed against sitting board members or school members.

“If the person has not been sworn into the board of education the School Ethics Commission would not have jurisdiction until such time the individual is considered a board member,” Yaple wrote.

Koy’s memo also compared past cases where the commission determined that board members cannot serve in two roles without a conflict of interest but only in certain circumstances, such as when the board member holds a dual leadership role, or when the member’s regular employment requires them to answer to district administrators. Luna does not serve in a leadership role at KIPP Rise Academy but he is an employee of the school.

“Although he perhaps should recuse himself from certain issues, such as labor negotiations or certain decisions regarding charter schools, he is not disqualified from board membership,” the memo reads.

Koy, in his legal memo, also pointed to school board members who have previously served and had ties to the KIPP charter school network.

Former board member Rashied McCreary was also a teacher at KIPP Rise Academy when he was elected to the board in 2012. Norton, who was first elected in 2018, was a kindergarten teacher at KIPP Life Academy charter school when she ran for a seat on the school board. She left that position in June 2018 according to her LinkedIn profile. In 2021, Murray-Thomas’s appointment to the board of directors of the KIPP Foundation, a nonprofit that assists KIPP charter schools through training and fundraising, sparked ethics questions.

“We are aware of no prior concerns expressed by the Board concerning these former members’ employment with local charter schools,” the memo read.

School board members argue for Luna’s seat on the board

Board members have also expressed confusion by the delay in seating Luna and raised questions after the motion to swear him in, introduced by member Allison James-Frison, was shot down during the December school board meeting.

“It’s crazy because he was unanimously voted in as a board member in October so how do we not want to swear him in? This is the reason why we were under state control because we did not know how to operate and function,” said board member Crystal Williams, who voted in favor of swearing Luna in December.

Former member Murray-Thomas, whose last meeting was in December and abstained from voting for the motion to swear in Luna, said it would be “a distinguished honor” to have him and would be “disappointed as a voter in this city if he’s not on the board within the next couple of days, weeks.” She added that current members had not been briefed about the delay of his swearing-in.

“Personally, I think that we should have some kind of executive session for us to be informed on the full nature of it,” Murray-Thomas added.

The board is currently accepting applications to fill Murray-Thomas’s vacant seat until Jan. 18, according to Deering, when asked about the district’s post on Facebook. Deering, the district’s spokesperson, said “interested and qualified candidates should apply” and interviews are tentatively scheduled to happen during the February board meeting. Under New Jersey law, the board has 65 days to fill a vacancy.

This year’s school board race will be held on April 16 where the city’s 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote for the first time in history. Residents interested in running for a seat on the school board must submit their applications to the Newark Board of Education by Feb. 26

The voter registration deadline for the election is March 26.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark will become first in the state to lower voting age to 16 for school board elections

2024-01-10T22:51:58+00:00

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Newark’s 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in April’s school board election after city leaders voted unanimously in favor of a historic ordinance to lower the voting age.

The city will be the first in the state to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. The ordinance, sponsored by council president LaMonica McIver, stems from McIver’s desire to engage in civics as a 16-year-old after being inspired by her fifth grade teacher, Ras Baraka, who is now the mayor of Newark.

“I decided to run for an elected position because of those lessons my teacher taught me,” said McIver during a press conference following Wednesday’s council meeting.

Before the vote, state and community leaders, educators, and students spoke at the packed city council meeting about the importance of letting young people vote, while others highlighted their concerns during public comment, which ran about 90 minutes. Some residents commented on the importance of letting the city’s youth vote in “decisions that affect their day-to-day,” bringing back civics courses to the public schools, and engaging high school students with civic actions.

During the council meeting, Nathaniel Esubonteng, a 16-year-old junior at Science Park High School and fellow for the nonprofit The Gem Project, called himself an engaged student and said he feels confident that his peers are prepared to vote. After the board vote, he recalled going to a school board candidate forum and being disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to participate in the election.

“We really align with these people but do we get to vote? We were able to listen to everything they had to say and align our values but we couldn’t vote, so that was very unappealing,” Esubonteng said.

Breanna Campbell, also a 16-year-old junior at Science Park High School and fellow for The Gem Project, said she felt urgency and excitement for the opportunity to vote.

“It honestly feels good for this law to be passed because it shows how our voices make a difference,” Campbell said.

The new ordinance comes after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed to allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they are registered and turning 18 by the general election, starting in 2026. In his annual State of the State address on Tuesday, Murphy also asked state lawmakers to send him a bill that would expand voting rights for 16- and 17-year-olds statewide to vote in local school board elections.

The Newark ordinance also comes as the city’s school board works to fill two vacancies, one left by former president Asia Norton, who abruptly resigned last September, and the other by board member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, who won a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners in November.

McIver, the city council president, said her team along with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice have met with Newark Public Schools and are looking for ways to collaborate with the school district to create civic awareness among students. She said there is a possibility “to do workshops with students and their parents.”

Once Baraka signs the ordinance into law, the city plans to meet with the state delegation to encourage them to implement civics education into the curriculum.

During Wednesday’s meeting, some council members expressed support for the ordinance while others shared their concerns with lowering the voting age and about immigrant teenagers who will not benefit from the new ordinance.

“These 16- and 17-year-olds, although they’re not American citizens, need to have their voices heard too,” said East Ward council member Michael Silva, who suggested addressing the voting rights of immigrants in his ward and throughout the city.

Other council members, including Anibal Ramos and Luis Quintana, raised concerns about the future of voter turnout and the importance of engaging young people in Newark. Over the last few years, turnout for the city’s school board election has hovered around 3%.

“This is a victory in increasing who is eligible to vote but if we are not able to effectively engage these young people, the 3% almost every speaker alluded to, could be 2% or 1% in the future because you’re increasing who can vote,” Ramos said.

Council member Carlos Gonzalez also cited concerns about a “slippery slope” of lowering the voting age.

“Isn’t 16 arbitrary? Or are we saying now 16 and next year it’s 14? It’s a slippery slope of going from 18 to 16,” said Gonzalez, who voted in favor of the action on Wednesday despite his concerns.

Despite the reservations, council leaders agreed city students should have a say in school board elections, which directly affect their day-to-day education, they said.

In response to comments about the cons of lowering the voting age, Jonathan Alston, a Science Park High School teacher and debate coach said 16-year-olds should not have stricter barriers than adults when it comes to the right to vote.

“Let’s not hold our 16-year-olds to a higher standard,” said Alston during the meeting.

Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, and the first student representative for the Newark Board of Education, expressed his support for the ordinance but encouraged the council to pass a resolution urging the State Board of Education to restore civics as a required part of curriculum throughout New Jersey.

“During the 1980s, that decision to no longer require civics as a part of the curriculum happened,” Hamm said. “We can see today the dire consequences that has made.”

The Newark Board of Education election will be held on April 16. The voter registration deadline for the election is March 26.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Gov. Phil Murphy to focus on phonics instruction in schools to improve reading levels among children

2024-01-09T23:33:56+00:00

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Gov. Phil Murphy renewed his commitment to expanding universal pre-K in New Jersey and promised new plans to improve literacy rates among children across the state, according to education priorities he outlined during his annual State of State address.

In the Tuesday speech, Murphy hailed New Jersey as having “the best public education system in the United States,” a reputation he says he needs to maintain “by listening to our students, our educators, our parents, and putting their feedback into practice.”

More than 14,000 new preschool seats have been added across New Jersey, Murphy said, as he promised new initiatives that will focus on phonics instruction for younger students and the fundamentals of reading, such as sounding out letters and combining them into words.

“Increasing literacy rates makes New Jersey better,” Murphy said. “Because reading books is always better than banning books.”

After state test scores showed dismal drops in English language arts performance, local leaders and advocates called on state officials to create a plan to ensure children can read.

“It is simple. An emphasis on phonics and reading instruction is essential to the lifelong success of our children,” Murphy said.

His focus on literacy serves “as a desperately needed ray of sunshine for the many children across the state who need to learn how to read and write,” said Paula White, executive director of education advocacy group JerseyCAN.

Last year, JerseyCAN launched the New Jersey Legacy of Literacy (NJLL) Coalition, a statewide group that urged Murphy, the legislature, and the state’s department of education to adopt a plan that addresses literacy in every public school.

“No community in the Garden State is immune to our literacy problem, most especially our most vulnerable communities,” White added.

New Jersey students need help with the basics of reading

Last year’s state test results showed small gains for most students in English language arts as post-pandemic academic recovery efforts continue.

Across the state, New Jersey’s third graders didn’t see improvement in reading last spring showing a pressing need to help young readers. Third graders’ reading proficiency statewide remained at 42% in 2023, the same as in 2022 — and 8 percentage points lower than the 50% rate in 2019.

Among all grade levels, 51.3% of students reached proficiency levels on the state’s English language arts test last spring, a 2.4% increase in reading proficiency over 2022. But scores continued to trail behind pre-pandemic levels, which reached 57.6% in 2019.

Spring 2023 test scores are the latest results from the state Student Learning Assessments, the second round of standardized tests given since the pandemic disrupted learning nearly four years ago. The data shows students are making progress in reading but also highlights the efforts school leaders must take to help students get back on grade level.

In Newark, the state’s largest school district, third graders trailed behind statewide averages. Only 19% of Newark third graders passed the English language arts tests for the second time in a row since 2022, underscoring the need to help some of the state’s most vulnerable students recover academically.

Local efforts to raise literacy levels ongoing

In Newark, reading and literacy have remained a point of concern for local leaders. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka declared an “urgent” literacy crisis throughout the city and launched a 10-point Youth Literacy Action plan that calls on local schools, parents, community partners, and programs to get young children reading and writing.

Last summer, more than 10,000 public school students were required to attend summer school – double the number from 2022 – with many requiring help with the basic ability to recognize letters and their sounds, handwriting, and reading comprehension.

The city’s public school leaders are also following the state’s lead in implementing phonics instruction to boost student achievement in reading.

This school year, Newark Public Schools created a plan to tackle difficulties in writing and English language arts that focuses on phonics instruction and explicit writing strategies and supports teachers’ knowledge of an evidence-based reading approach known as the science of reading as part of their English language arts curriculum this year.

The district said officials will monitor the effectiveness of the new curriculums and approaches mainly through students’ academic progress in reading, but also using state test scores and periodic assessments such as the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP growth assessment.

“There is a great deal of work to be done, and there will be no quick fix,” said White, the JerseyCAN executive director. “The solutions outlined today energize a discourse to provide our children and our teachers with support to address this battle, and we pledge to work side by side with him to ensure we address this issue with the urgency it deserves.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Battle continues a year after Newark Global Studies’ students first described pattern of racism

2023-12-20T20:06:31+00:00

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When Newark’s School of Global Studies first opened three years ago, it was hailed as an international-themed magnet high school that would value diversity and encourage students to engage with other cultures and global issues.

Instead, over the last year, students and teachers have come forward to describe a pattern of racist harassment on campus that led students to transfer out midyear because they felt the district failed to handle their situation. Teachers claimed they suffered “unlawful and unreasonable treatment” at the school, forcing them to resign.

Superintendent Roger León promised to fix the issues, but he has not been forthcoming about his plans to tackle racial harassment on campus or changes made at the school since the issues came to light.

Tensions between the community and the district have grown over the last year due to the lack of solutions and transparency on the issue. Now, the school community ends the year with continued demands for justice for students, and it still wants the district to release the scathing report on the cultural dynamics at the Newark School of Global Studies.

“We need the findings to be made public,” said Deborah Smith-Gregory, president of NAACP Newark, at the school board meeting on Tuesday, referring to the report. “We can’t fix what we don’t know.”

Earlier this year, León said that the report, which was commissioned by board members nearly a year ago, would not be released publicly despite requests from board members and public records requests from Chalkbeat.

“People not having the report in their hands doesn’t mean that there isn’t work … occurring” at the school, León said at the meeting Tuesday. He also pointed out that a few recommendations from the report have already been addressed publicly.

But despite the continued calls for more transparency, the report remained under wraps this week.

The situation began when a group of Black students from the school spoke out at a board meeting in November 2022 about the ongoing racial harassment they said they experienced on campus. The issues drew heavy criticism from the community about the way the school and district leaders handled the situation.

Over the last year, half a dozen Black students transferred out of the high school. An analysis of the school’s cultural dynamics was completed and recommendations to fix the problems were provided to the district. Two Black teachers resigned and filed legal claims over a hostile work environment, and the school’s vice principal Hoda Abdelwahab, who was at the center of complaints, also resigned. Most recently, the Newark Teachers Union filed a lawsuit over the public release of the report.

A year later, district plans remain unclear

The frustration has been building since November 2022, when León and school board members listened intently as one student described being called a “smart chimpanzee” in his English class because of the color of his skin. Another said his friend’s hijab was pulled off while they were walking in the hallway. Others later described how they were called “the n-word, a slave, a caricature.”

Mayor Ras Baraka visited students in December 2022 to discuss the issues but did not provide solutions for students. León also visited the students, and at the time, asked if they would like a basketball team at the school, further frustrating them. Emails obtained by Chalkbeat Newark showed that school and district leaders had known about the issues months before.

Students and parents complained to León, principal Nelson Ruiz, Abdelwahab, and other school leaders begging for an end to the ongoing harassment and demanding stronger consequences for students who used derogatory language.They would later describe an administration that wasn’t taking the situation seriously enough, and they called for Ruiz’ removal.

In January, student testimonies prompted school board members to hire Dr. Lauren Wells and her firm, CREED Strategies, to examine the cultural, racial, and religious dynamics at Global Studies and provide recommendations to fix the issues. The review was the first mention of the district’s long-awaited plan to mend problems at the high school after the incidents came to light.

That same month, nearly half a dozen Black students transferred out of the school, including the Black Student Union president and school board vice-president Dawn Haynes’ daughter, who spoke at December’s school board meeting about the racial and religious harassment she experienced before transferring during her junior year.

In March, Baraka hosted a town hall event to discuss unity among Black and brown communities and invited Global Studies students to speak about their concerns.

Over the summer, León shared limited details about the school’s cultural report during a press conference. He offered no insight on the report, which he said would serve “as an internal document” for the district to consider. León also said the report was meant to help the district design a strategy to tackle racial issues in city schools but details about that plan have not been made public.

Legal battles mount for transparency into Global Studies incidents

In more recent months, community leaders repeatedly attended school board meetings to demand the release of the Global Studies report. Others continue to press the district to create a plan to prevent the problems from happening again or at other schools.

The district is also facing mounting pressure from former educators. In August, two former English teachers at the school filed legal claims against the district alleging they suffered “severe emotional problems” that led them to seek psychological counseling after experiencing harassment and racial hostility by students and supervisors. The filings could lead to a lawsuit, said their lawyer, David Balk.

In September, Newark Public Schools released three recommendations from the Global Studies report that call on the district to assess the effects of “anti-Blackness” on the school system and foster conversations about racial issues. In addition to the recommendations, principal evaluations were changed to include “equity indicators” and base performance on their school’s climate.

Haynes, who privately read the full report in September when it was made available to board members said it was “traumatizing to read.”

During a school board meeting last month, a year after the students first raised concerns, member Crystal Williams said she expected an update about the changes at the school over the last year and raised questions about the school’s progress. Over the last several months, board members have asked León to provide the public with answers.

“What does the diversity in this school look like? What is the climate like? What is student life like in this building right now?” Williams asked.

Also during that meeting, member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas said the district needs to be “firmer and clearer” on its plans for the sake of students. Board member Allison James-Frison said she continues to “look for justice for those kids.”

“I think more should be done and I hope there’s a day that this report will be released,” said James-Frison at last month’s meeting.

Without knowing what the report says, it’s unclear the extent of how the situation affected teachers, said John Abeigon, the Newark Teachers Union President, last month. In November, his union filed a lawsuit against the district for the release of that report.

The union’s lawsuit is the first court battle to unlock the findings of the Global Studies report and its recommendations. Previously, the district received public records requests for the report, including two filed by Chalkbeat Newark, but denied those requests.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools seeks to improve science scores with renewed emphasis on state standards

2023-12-12T11:00:00+00:00

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Newark Public Schools says it has developed a plan to improve student achievement in science after spring state test scores showed students performed below the state average for a second year in a row.

Officials didn’t provide details of the plan, but the district’s director of science education, Kathleen Tierney, suggested it would involve reinforcing a key element of state standards that call for three-dimensional learning, an approach to teaching science that supports students’ understanding of science content and its application to the real world.

The plan comes three years after the state adopted new science learning standards, including a requirement for climate change education across multiple grades and subjects.

Results of this year’s New Jersey Learning Assessment show Newark students continue to need academic support in English language arts, math, and science to recover from the pandemic. The state science test is given to students in fifth, eighth, and 11th grades. This year, 11th graders had the highest proficiency rate, and eighth graders the lowest.

Most Newark students saw small gains on this year’s state science test but continued to perform below the state’s average. Overall, nearly 8% of students demonstrated proficiency on the tests, a roughly one-percentage-point increase from last year. Across the state, roughly 25% of students passed this year’s science test.

To improve student performance, students have to make science connections to the real world, said Janice McDonnell, a science, engineering, and technology agent for the Department of 4-H Youth Development at Rutgers University. That means teachers have to find a way to blend key ideas so students can apply them in their daily lives.

“We just came out of COVID. where everyone had to learn how to interpret graphs and charts and trends,” McDonnell said. “Now we’re focusing on climate change education and questioning things like if it’s better to have an electric car or natural gas car. All of those things tie back to your understanding of science and the impact of science.”

Plan focuses on ‘three dimensional learning’ and applied science

At a school board committee meeting last month, Tierney said the district’s plan focuses on emphasizing three-dimensional learning, a reference to New Jersey state science standards that are expressed as “three dimensions”: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts.

That means showing students how scientists develop theories and models based on core ideas, how engineers investigate data and identify patterns, and how both use these skills to create explanations and solutions to real world problems.

The standards call for integrating the three dimensions into science instruction and creating assessments to gauge how well students understand and apply them. The standards were developed to provide flexibility in the way that students can show proficiency in the subject, according to the state. McDonnell describes the approach as a braided cord.

The state’s standardized tests require students to show that they understand core concepts and practices and can identify patterns in the real world to apply what they learned in the classroom. But Newark’s public schools have faced challenges in securing school science facilities and equipment that create opportunities for hands-on learning.

A 2010 report found that Newark’s “K-8 teachers are attempting to teach science without basic equipment such as faucets and sinks, lab tables, microscopes, and balances.” The report also said the district’s magnet high schools had better science facilities than its comprehensive high schools.

Since then, the district has worked with the city and the nonprofit Students 2 Science to create virtual science labs for more hands-on learning. It also uses the Inspire Science curriculum for elementary students, which uses a framework known to support in-depth, collaborative, evidence-based, and project-based learning opportunities.

For middle school students, the district uses IQWST, which stands for “investigating and questioning our world through science and technology,” a curriculum that aims to support the real-world applications of science.

At November’s committee meeting, Tierney also stressed the importance of three-dimensional teaching and said teachers would get resources to help with the lessons. But the district did not say what resources or support they would receive.

Even for students who are not interested in pursuing a career in science, it’s “more important than ever” to ensure they understand these ideas because of the “grand challenges that we’re facing,” McDonnell said.

“Always answering the ‘Why should I care about this?’ is really important, because they are kids,” McDonnell said.

In 2020, the state became the first in the country to adopt standards requiring K-12 public schools to teach about climate change across grade levels and in nearly all subjects. The requirement challenges students to think critically and broadly about the effects of climate.

McDonnell also says ideas such as how we use our land and how we fuel our cars are key in helping students apply real world challenges to their science education in schools.

Newark students need academic support in science, too

The state science assessments, given three grades apart, each cover several years of science education, not just what a student learned during the year they take the test.

Since remote learning caused by pandemic disruptions impeded students’ academic progress, school districts are paying more attention to state tests and using them as a measure to gauge recovery.

Trends in this year’s science scores are in line with results in English language arts and math that show students’ slow academic recovery after the pandemic.

According to state data, 13% of Newark Public Schools’ 11th graders met proficiency standards on the science test this year, a slight improvement from results in spring 2019, when 10.7% met the standards. For fifth graders, the proficiency rate was 7%, down from 10.3% in 2019. Among eighth graders, the proficiency rate was roughly 4%, even with 2019.

Students with disabilities and English language learners scored the lowest and continue to need the most support.

The Newark district also uses curriculum and benchmark assessments as well as grades as an indicator of students’ progress.

Tierney told board members last month that the district’s Office of Science developed benchmark assessments for grades 2-11 that include biology, chemistry, and physics.

The data gathered from those assessments will be used to inform teachers, schools, and, ultimately, the district’s science strategy, Tierney said.

Ultimately, McDonnell said, it’s important for students to think critically about the application of science in their lives and build their knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math so they feel confident making decisions about their environment and future.

“You don’t have to be a scientist to vote and be engaged in these kinds of conversations about climate change and how we use our resources,” McDonnell said.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board of Education won’t take action to seat new board member despite ethics review

2023-12-05T11:00:00+00:00

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More than a month after Thomas Luna was chosen to fill a vacancy on the Newark school board created when the former president abruptly resigned in September, the KIPP charter school teacher has yet to be seated.

Luna was set to be sworn in during November’s board meeting where board President Hasani Council attributed the delay to information they received from a public records request and a review of School Ethics Commission opinions regarding conflicts of interest for board members.

But details about the records request, reasons for the delay, the board’s review of opinions, and the conflict of interest remain unclear.

Under New Jersey law, the Newark Board of Education had 65 days to fill the vacant seat. In an email to Chalkbeat Newark last week, Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering said the board had “no further comment beyond the information provided” at November’s meeting and would not take further action regarding the vacancy on the board. She did not cite a legal reason why the board declined to comment on the delay.

Luna, who was set to serve on the board until April when school board elections for the new year take place, told Chalkbeat on Monday that he hasn’t received updates on when he’d be seated, and “no further information has been shared” with him.

The district also did not say if Luna will be sworn in during December’s school board meeting.

Luna’s selection to the board was the latest reshuffling of members this school year after Council was sworn in as president in September following former board President Asia Norton’s abrupt resignation two weeks after the start of the school year. It also comes as board members continue to demand a separate attorney for the board

Under New Jersey law, the state does not make any recommendations on the process a board should follow in filling a vacancy, however, it requires the board to fill a vacant seat within 65 days with a majority vote from the remaining members of the board, according to Janet Bamford, chief public affairs officer for the New Jersey School Board Association.

Ultimately, the process to fill a vacant board seat “is left to the discretion of the local district — and a district would typically have policy or bylaws on this topic,” Bamford added.

The board’s bylaws say it must publicly announce the vacancy and solicit applications from the public, which it did in September on its Facebook page following Norton’s resignation.

Newark received 10 applications, including one from former board member Flohisha Johnson, and invited the candidates to attend the October school board meeting where they were interviewed by the current board in an executive session during the meeting. The board then returned to the public meeting where it unanimously voted to move forward with Luna.

Under state law, school boards are required to include a public comment period during each public meeting, but “there is no specific requirement that the public comment on the topic of filling a board vacancy,” Bamford added.

The Newark Teachers Union, whose negotiations with the district begin in the next months, said it has “always objected to allowing any corporate charter school employees on the school,” said John Abeigon, union president.

The board’s bylaws also say members should avoid actions that could prompt questions about “the integrity of any board decision.” They also cite state law, which says board members should not take paid or volunteer positions that “might reasonably be expected to prejudice” their official decisions.

Previous board members have also held ties to the KIPP charter school network while being on the board.

Former board president Norton, who was first elected in 2018, was a kindergarten teacher at KIPP Life Academy charter school when she ran for a seat on the school board. She left that position in June 2018 according to her LinkedIn profile. In 2021, board member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas’s appointment to the board of directors of the KIPP Foundation, a nonprofit that assists KIPP charter schools through training and fundraising, sparked ethics questions. She remains on the board.

Luna, a science teacher at KIPP RISE Academy, ran for the school board twice before.

Both times, he lost to the Moving Newark Schools Forward slate, which included Council and board members Josephine Garcia and Allison James-Frison in 2023. It included board members Daniel Gonzalez, Murray-Thomas, and Crystal Williams in 2022. Historically, the slate has had strong backing from powerful state and local politicians including Mayor Ras Baraka and state Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, who oversees Essex County.

The board must also fill another vacant position after Murray-Thomas won the Nov. 7 general election for a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners. Murray-Thomas ran as a Democrat against Khalil Kettles, who ran as an independent, to represent District 2, which includes Newark, Irvington, and Maplewood.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board did not swear in Thomas Luna as new member

2023-11-22T22:11:06+00:00

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The Newark Board of Education did not swear in a city charter school teacher as its newest board member Tuesday, nearly a month after the candidate won a unanimous vote to fill the vacancy.

The board did not provide a direct explanation for why it delayed the swearing in of Thomas Luna, who has been a teacher in Newark for 10 years, most recently at KIPP RISE Academy.

Board President Hasani Council attributed the delay in the swearing in to information the board received from a public records request since the last meeting and a review of School Ethics Commission opinions regarding conflicts of interest for board members.

He didn’t explain further and couldn’t be reached for comment after the meeting. Newark School District Spokesperson Nancy Deering didn’t respond to requests for comment, and Luna declined to comment on the matter.

Luna was set to be sworn in during November’s school board meeting and serve on the board until April when school board elections for the new year take place. It is unclear if he will be sworn in during December’s school board meeting.

The news comes as board members continue to work on hiring their separate attorney, focus on improving student achievement, and push for the release of a long-awaited review of the cultural climate at Newark School of Global Studies a year after students and teachers reported incidents of racial harassment at the school.

Luna’s selection was the latest reshuffling of board members after Council was sworn in as president last month following former board President Asia Norton’s abrupt resignation two weeks after the start of the school year.

After Norton’s departure, the Newark board had 65 days to fill her vacant seat, according to New Jersey law. They solicited nominations from the community and received 10 applications, including one from former board member Flohisha Johnson. The current board interviewed the candidates during a private executive session in October and then voted unanimously to move forward with Luna. The vote was public.

Luna is a science teacher at a Newark KIPP school. He said his first order of business would be to make sure he gets his “personal bearings” about the work the board is doing.

Luna ran for the school board twice before. Both times, he lost to the Moving Newark Schools Forward slate, which included Council and board members Josephine Garcia and Allison James-Frison in 2023. It included board members Daniel Gonzalez, A’Dorian Murray-Thomas and Crystal Williams in 2022. Historically, the slate has had strong backing from powerful state and local politicians including Mayor Ras Baraka and state Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, who oversees Essex County.

Chalkbeat Newark interviewed Luna for the 2023 school board voter guide where he said, “The most pressing issue facing Newark schools today is achievement.”

The board must also fill another vacant position after Murray-Thomas won the Nov. 7 general election for a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners. Murray-Thomas ran as a Democrat against Khalil Kettles, who ran as an Independent, to represent District 2, which includes Newark, Irvington, and Maplewood.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools has plans to tackle difficulties in student reading, writing

2023-11-20T11:23:00+00:00

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Newark Public School officials have created a plan aimed at boosting student achievement after spring state test scores showed difficulties in writing and English language arts.

The director of the district’s English language arts department, Jazleen Othman, spelled out three problems with the district’s instruction at a recent Board committee meeting: ineffective reading instruction during the pandemic, simplifying the curriculum, and inadequate writing instruction.

Othman told the board that her department hopes to combat these problems through several tactics, such as introducing new approaches to teaching phonics, implementing explicit writing strategies, and supporting teachers’ knowledge of an evidence-based reading approach known as the science of reading.

The targeted plan comes just weeks after the results of this spring’s state test scores showed Newark students continue to need academic support to recover from the pandemic. For the second year in a row, most Newark students performed worse than pre-pandemic levels in reading. In grades 3 to 9, an average of 29% of Newark students passed the English language arts portion of the exam, compared to 36% in 2019 before the pandemic.

Some grades fared worse – only 19% of the district’s third-graders passed ELA, the lowest of any grade in Newark for a second year in a row. Seventh and eighth graders had the highest English language arts scores, each at about 37%, which increased this year by about 4 and 5 percentage points respectively.

Public school leaders are attributing reading issues in early grades to the switch to remote learning during the pandemic, which they say has hindered students’ reading progress and caused disfluent readers.

District officials also said they designed a new ELA curriculum for grades K-8 currently used in classrooms this year. Newark Public Schools has released limited details about the new curriculum to Chalkbeat Newark through a public records request.

District to focus on new reading and writing strategies

The district’s work to improve student’s skills began over the summer when roughly 10,000 public school students with low attendance, grades, and state test scores were required to attend summer school to target problem areas in math and reading, like sounding out words, handwriting, and reading comprehension, among others.

Students are struggling with alphabetic knowledge, the basic ability to recognize letters and their sounds, Deering said.

But Othman laid out even more specifics last month to the school board.

The district’s Office of English Language Arts is adopting a structured approach to teaching phonics by implementing SIPPS, also known as Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words. Through this research-based approach, students are guided through the reading development process, and new and struggling readers learn through explicit routines focused on word sounds and spelling, and high-frequency words, or words that appear most often in writing.

The district is also implementing Wilson Fundations, a curriculum rooted in the science of reading that builds the foundations for reading, spelling, and handwriting. That work is supplemented through the Geodes Classroom Libraries, a collection of books that help new and developing readers, and builds on skills from the Wilson Fundations curriculum.

Deering said this isn’t the first time the district has used elements of the science of reading. It has adopted components of the approach since 1998 that focus on students learning the basics of reading and writing by decoding words and sounding out letters.

During the presentation to board members, Othman said that as soon as children learn to decode words, they should be provided with grade-level reading and writing opportunities and discuss grade-level work to promote critical thinking.

After finding problems with their writing instruction, the district recruited The Writing Revolution, an organization that helps school districts implement its explicit writing strategy known as the Hochman Method. According to the organization, the approach is not a separate writing curriculum, but rather a set of strategies embedded in student learning.

Preparing teachers in the foundations of reading instruction

Othman and her office found that the district’s ELA curriculum is simplified, she told the board, resulting in limited learning on grade-level content and critical thinking. Teachers, vice principals, department chairs, and teacher coaches will need to learn how to unpack the new curriculums.

The district will train teachers and school leaders through professional development to support the new shifts in learning approaches, Deering said, and officials will adjust the approaches as they monitor students’ academic progress.

Since August 2022, over 1,800 Newark public school educators enrolled in The Writing Revolution’s online training to learn and work with the new method. The group has worked with district schools and leaders to visit classrooms and provide ongoing support, according to the organization. Over the summer, the strategy was embedded in the first two units of the English Language Arts curriculum.

Officials will adapt their approach based on student achievement and growth.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools students head back to class

2023-09-05T18:13:37+00:00

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Deion Searles woke up around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday to get dressed, eat a hearty breakfast, and wait for a van to come and take him to his first day of high school.

Deion, a new freshman at the Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology, receives special education services and rides the district-provided shuttle van to get to school every day. Last September, his mother, Veronica Searles, spent $80 on Lyft after her son’s transportation never arrived on the first two days of school.

This year, a large sign that read “Congrats Grad” hung by the table in the kitchen – a reminder that Deion “graduated” from middle school. The 14-year-old felt a mix of emotions as he savored his eggs, bacon, and toast.

“I’m nervous but that nervousness is going away,” said Deion in between bites, noting that he had gone to a summer orientation so “I kind of know how the school looks and like what to expect.”

At 7:35 a.m., his van arrived. Deion grabbed his red and black backpack, put on his glasses, and walked out the door.

“His van came! That’s already a great start to the year,” said Veronica as the shuttle drove away.

Deion joins more than 38,000 students returning to Newark Public Schools this morning — some sporting new backpacks like him, others showing off new uniforms. This year, district officials continue to deal with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, three years after it first disrupted learning and took a toll on students academically and emotionally.

As Newark students return to class on Tuesday, officials are hoping summer initiatives such as high-dosage tutoring aimed at helping those who have fallen behind will improve student performance this school year. This summer, roughly 10,000 students were in need of mandatory summer school, double the number from last year.

School leaders will also have to confront some of the district’s most pressing concerns such as improving schools, raising attendance rates, refining reading and literacy skills, boosting low test scores, and grappling with the impacts of harassment and diversity issues affecting students and employees in city schools.

In addition to tutoring, Superintendent Roger León said lowering the district’s chronic absenteeism rate, which reached 35% last fall, is one of his top priorities this school year. He visited two schools with new principals Tuesday morning: Avon Avenue and Nelson Mandela elementary schools.

Newark public school students flooded the streets on the first day of school for the 2023-24 academic year.

As the temperature began to hit 90 degrees while León stood in front of Nelson Mandela Elementary greeting families, the heat was top of mind for the first day. There were no immediate plans for early dismissals or changes to schedules, he said, adding that families will be notified if that changes.

This is León’s fifth school year as superintendent, halfway through his contract, and the third year of his 10-year strategic plan to improve the district. León was hired in 2018 by the city’s Board of Education when the district regained local control after 23 years under the state’s purview.

This year, León said the district continues to fill vacancies and hire new educators, especially those able to work with the growing number of students with disabilities and English language learners. The district allocated funds for an additional 211 instructional positions this school year, according to a district committee report.

During a board meeting in late August, board member Josephine Garcia reported there were 118 instructional vacancies, 10 fewer vacancies than last year at that time. León said in June that the district’s vacancies “have been the lowest in years.”

Outside schools, crossing guards held stop signs as students rushed their way across busy streets. At the start of last school year, the city’s police department reported it was at 72% of its budgetary allocation for school crossing guard with an additional 27 in the hiring process.

Kashmir Harris, 3, is greeted by music teacher Whitney Smith on the first day of school at Nelson Mandela Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Last week, Newark Police Lt. Tremayne Phillips reported 82 vacancies in the department’s crossing guard force during its biweekly call with the Newark Community Street Team, a nonprofit that recruits volunteers to patrol school routes.

Ahead of this school year, the district announced the appointment of 10 new principals at elementary and high schools. Eight of the new principals are at elementary schools and two will work at high schools. Some are first-time principals, while others are veteran educators and established administrators in the district.

Ryan Silver is the new principal at Nelson Mandela Elementary, located at the former University Heights Charter School location. The school welcomed its first set of pre-K-3 grade students on Tuesday and will increase enrollment by one grade level each year until the eighth grade.

Outside of the building, first grader Noah stood at the front of the line sporting a red hat, red sneakers, and a red backpack to match. Like the other kids in line behind him, he also wore the school’s gray polo with its stitched-on elephant insignia. And, much to the delight of administrators who stopped to help parents neaten up uniforms, Noah’s shirt was already tucked in.

“It’s always exciting when your child actually wants to go to school,” said Dishon Ross, mom to Noah. “I think a fresh start is always good, too.”

Other parents also noted the school’s clean slate as a draw to enroll their young children.

“We were excited about the idea of a brand new administration,” said Dante Cotton, whose 3- and 4-year-old daughters started pre-K and kindergarten today.

And for some parents, the school’s name — honoring former South African president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela — itself led them to enroll their child.

“Nelson Mandela was great, so I think this will be great,” said Nally Kadio as her daughter Jayna, 3, held onto her leg.

Ryan Silver is the new principal at Nelson Mandela Elementary, located at the former University Heights Charter School location.

As students trickled through the doors, the sun rose over surrounding buildings, reminding families of the high temperatures to come — weather forecasts show a heat wave for the area this week. Luckily for these students, a brand-new school also means air-conditioned classrooms.

Just when the heat became noticeable, Silver, a Newark native and alumnus of the district, announced that it was time for families to say good-bye.

“Start giving those motivational hugs and kisses now!” he said.

As district and school leaders prepared to continue their work with students and their families this year, parents enjoyed the last moments with their students Tuesday morning.

Noah’s parents took a few last photos and called “I love you!” and “Be great!” before their son led the way through the doors — and into the new school year.

Catherine Carrera contributed reporting.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Samantha Lauten is a fall reporting intern for Chalkbeat Newark covering public education in the city. Get in touch with Samantha at slauten@chalkbeat.org or reach the bureau newsroom at newark.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Teachers Union files lawsuit seeking release of Global Studies report

2023-11-03T16:04:37+00:00

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The Newark Teachers Union is asking a judge to order the release of a report on the racial and cultural dynamics at Newark’s School of Global Studies that Superintendent Roger León said would remain internal.

The union filed a lawsuit seeking the report after the district denied a public records request demanding the release of the scathing review of cultural, religious, and racial dynamics at Global Studies. The review was conducted after incidents of harassment against Black students and staff at the school surfaced a year ago.

The district denied the union’s request in October, citing a legal exemption that allows draft documents or advisory documents prepared to recommend or form part of a deliberative process to be withheld from the public.

The union filed the public records request on Sept. 29, a day after the regular board meeting that month. In both the public records request and the lawsuit, the union cites its “Common Law Right of Access,” or right to ask for the review, arguing that it has an interest in the release of the report and in knowing of any changes or recommendations to the district’s approach in handling student and staff issues related to “anti-blackness” or “cultural sensitivity,” ultimately affecting teachers in the district.

During the September meeting, community members, including the Newark Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also demanded the release of the full report.

Earlier that week, the district had released three recommendations within the report, providing the first glimpse into the scathing review.

“We were surprised that the board was not more forthcoming about what was in the report and more importantly, what they were going to be doing to resolve the issues that came up in the report,” said John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, after the lawsuit was filed in Superior Court of New Jersey on Thursday afternoon.

The union’s lawsuit is the first court battle against the district for the release of that report, conducted by consulting firm CREED Strategies led by Dr. Lauren Wells. The district has also received other public records requests for the release of the report, including two filed by Chalkbeat Newark.

The review of the school began in January when board members approved a data-sharing agreement with CREED strategies in an attempt to mend problems after students spoke publicly last November about their experiences of racial harassment on campus. The issues drew heavy criticism from the community about the way the school and district leaders handled the situation and led several students to transfer and some teachers to resign.

But during a June press conference, León said details about the review would not be made public but rather, would serve as “an internal document” to help inform a strategy to tackle racial issues in city schools. Details about that strategy have not been shared with the public.

During that press conference, León also said he would call on Global Studies principal Nelson Ruiz to help other principals deal with similar issues at their schools and provide guidance as needed.

In September, two days before the monthly regular board meeting, the district shared a glimpse of the unreleased report after it revealed three recommendations included in the review. The recommendations suggest Newark must assess the effects of “anti-Blackness” on the school system, foster conversations about racial issues, and commit to “culturally responsive-sustaining education transformation.”

In addition to the recommendations, principal evaluations were modified to include “equity indicators” and base performance on their school’s climate, among other existing criteria, according to a board committee report detailing the recommendations.

But Abeigon said without knowing what the report says, it’s unclear the extent of how the situation affected its teachers. Board members have also called on León to share the report with the public. In August, the district told them they could read the report by setting up a time with them to view it.

“But we try to be proactive, especially when the district is being less than forthcoming with information,” Abeigon added.

Students and teachers were at the center of the racial and religious harassment at Global Studies. In August, two former teachers of the high school filed a legal notice against the district and claims with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights after suffering “severe emotional problems” because of the racial harassment they experienced at Global Studies, according to those teachers.

They also filed a complaint with the district’s affirmative action office alleging principal Ruiz, vice principal Hoda Abdelwahab, who started a new position at Millburn Township Public Schools in August, and department chair Shagun Kukeja created a hostile work environment at the high school based on race. Newark Public Schools completed its own investigation of those incidents in July.

That review led by Yolanda Mendez, the district’s affirmative action office, did not find “sufficient evidence” to support a finding of harassment, discrimination, hostile work environment, or retaliatory conduct in violation of district policy or state or federal laws.

“At this point, we don’t know what we will find, but we are curious why they are so reluctant to share this document with the public,” Abeigon said.

The incidents at the high school last fall also received attention from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who met with students last December and hosted a town hall this spring to discuss unity among Black and brown communities.

Before the issues came to light last November, emails obtained by Chalkbeat Newark showed that parents emailed Ruiz, Abdelwahab, and other school leaders begging for an end to the ongoing harassment. At least one parent called for the removal of Ruiz, who remains the principal of the school.

Global Studies first opened its doors in 2020 welcoming ninth graders to a high school offering a global perspective where students could study different cultures and prepare to study abroad.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board votes in Thomas Luna to fill vacant board seat

2023-10-31T20:55:26+00:00

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Board of education leaders in New Jersey’s largest school district voted in a new member, weeks after the former president stepped down and a new one took her place.

Thomas Luna won a unanimous vote at a school board meeting Monday to be the new member of the Newark Board of Education following a vacancy left by former president, Asia Norton, who resigned two weeks after the start of the school year. Luna was chosen out of 10 candidates who submitted applications to the board last month.

“I get to wake up every day and teach the future of the city. And to bring that perspective is something that is really important to me, and I think will benefit everyone in terms of working with this team of board members to do the work for our kids and our families,” said Luna, a teacher at KIPP Rise Academy and two-time school board candidate, during a phone call on Tuesday.

Luna will be sworn in during November’s school board meeting and will serve on the board until April, when school board elections for the new year take place.

His selection is the latest reshuffling of board members after Hasani Council was sworn in as president last month when Norton departed for a role with the Superior Court of New Jersey.

The news comes as board members continue to work on hiring their separate attorney, solidify their goals for the year, and push for the release of a long-awaited review of the cultural climate at Newark School of Global Studies in the wake of reported incidents of racial harassment at the school, among other work.

Following Norton’s departure, the Newark board had 65 days to fill the vacant seat, according to New Jersey law. They solicited nominations from the community and received 10 applications, which they accepted until Sept. 29. The current board interviewed the candidates on Monday and later that evening voted to move forward with Luna, based on the information received during those interviews, said board president Council on Tuesday.

Luna, a seventh and eighth grade math and science teacher for more than 10 years in Newark, said his first order of business is making sure he gets his “personal bearings” about the work the board is doing. He said he is grateful and excited to work with the city’s school board and best serve its students.

Thomas Luna ran for a seat on the Newark Board of Education in April 2022 and 2023.

Previously, Luna ran for a school board seat in April 2022 and 2023 but both times lost to the Moving Newark Schools Forward slate, which has had strong backing from powerful state and local politicians. Chalkbeat Newark interviewed Luna for the 2023 school board voter guide where he said, “the most pressing issue facing Newark schools today is achievement.”

“As a board member, I would work with my fellow board members and the superintendent to establish and fully fund intervention strategies and teams within our schools to provide the academic safety nets our kids need,” said Luna in April.

A first-generation college graduate, Luna received a degree in public administration from Texas State University. As an educator, Luna has said he’s mentored many of his students even after they moved on to high school and college.

As a leader and organizer with Newark for Education Equity and Diversity, a nonprofit, he has helped community members and elected officials pass policy on the state and local levels. He has led and developed various community programs and believes in collective change, Luna said.

The board may also have to fill another vacant position as board member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas runs against Khalil Kettles next week in the Nov. 7 general election for a seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners, which approves the county budget, among other responsibilities. Murray-Thomas is running as a Democrat and Kettles as an Independent to represent District 2, which includes Newark, Irvington, and Maplewood.

Murray-Thomas’s term on the school board expires in 2025, but she would not be able to simultaneously hold elected positions on the school and commissioner boards. If she wins, there would be another vacancy on the board in January.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

N.J. doesn’t have long-term plans to fund school construction in Newark. Who will pay for it?

2023-10-20T10:00:00+00:00

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During the first week of school, temperatures soared into the 90s causing sweltering heat in some of Newark’s oldest buildings with no air conditioners and faulty water fountains.

Parents packed frozen water bottles for their children to cool off during the day while others wondered why some classrooms in New Jersey’s largest school system were unprepared to deal with high temperatures.

“No air conditioner in these schools is crazy,” wrote Jacquetta Thomas last month in a Facebook group after her grandson stained his polo shirt with blood due to a nosebleed caused by the heat. A handful of parents responded to Thomas’ post with their own concerns about hot classrooms and deteriorating conditions in city schools.

But this wasn’t the first time that Newark students dealt with uncomfortable conditions in city classrooms.

Newark’s public school buildings are among the oldest in the state, and Superintendent Roger León estimated last month that it would take more than $2 billion to fully repair and update them. The state is responsible for funding school construction projects in high-poverty districts like Newark, but a judge in a long-standing legal case said the state has not created a long-term financing plan to support the work.

In Newark’s school budget this year, 86.3% of the district’s funding comes from $1.2 billion in state aid, but that money can only fund school operations and education costs. Over the years, state officials have poured money into these projects on a “pay as you go” basis, leaving no room for long-term funding. And in comparison to wealthier school districts in the state, districts like Newark have a smaller property tax base, which limits their ability to bond for school construction projects to supplement the cost.

Now, the state, through the Schools Development Authority, is obligated to fully fund these projects in Newark and 30 other high-poverty districts, including East Orange, Elizabeth, and Paterson. That mandate was a result of a series of landmark decisions dating back to 1985 in the New Jersey Supreme Court case Abbott v. Burke. Those decisions ultimately helped establish the SDA. (The districts often are referred to as SDA districts.)

Formerly known as Abbott districts, the Schools Development Authority’s 31 high-poverty urban school districts are among the poorest in the United States.

In 2008, the state allocated $3.9 billion in funds to the SDA, of which $2.9 billion went to high-poverty districts. That was the largest, and most recent, cash infusion to SDA before Gov. Phil Murphy unlocked nearly $2 billion over the last two budget cycles resulting in 19 new construction projects, and hundreds of building repair projects for districts across New Jersey included in the SDA’s 2022 strategic plan.

But in March, a report submitted by the judge to the New Jersey Supreme Court said the state isn’t doing enough to prove that it will keep funding the SDA and school construction projects. Now, it’s up to Murphy’s administration and state legislature to find a way to fund them.

“There’s an enormous amount of need, and the state is just putting in a fraction of the money that [schools] need,” said Danielle Farrie, research director at Education Law Center.

State delivered nine new schools in Newark since 2006

Newark Public Schools is home to just over 39,000 students across its 63 schools. Its buildings have been crumbling for decades, and state officials have been slow to address the needs.

Dozens of those schools need new mortar and bricks, boilers, and roofs, among other needs. Over the years, parents and advocates have pressured the district to make classrooms more comfortable by installing central air conditioning systems and updating deteriorating buildings. In 2016, the district asked the state to fix more than 100 school buildings but only 11 projects were approved.

Since the state’s Schools Development Authority was established over two decades ago, more than $760 million has been spent on renovation projects in Newark, the most of any school district in New Jersey. But only nine new school projects have been finished, including Science Park High School, rebuilt in 2006, Speedway Avenue Elementary School, rebuilt in 2010, and Elliot Street Elementary School in 2016, which was the first new school built in the East Ward in 104 years.

In 2022, the SDA granted the district two new prekindergarten through eighth grade schools, along with 14 other projects across the state to address high-priority needs and overcrowding. One of those schools is the recently opened Nelson Mandela Elementary School, housed in the former University Heights Charter School building. The SDA purchased the building after the state shut down the school in 2022.

A second elementary school was promised for Newark, but district and SDA officials agreed to move forward with the construction of a new University High School building instead, said SDA spokesperson Edye Maier. The project, which is in the planning stage, is meant to alleviate overcrowding as school officials project the district’s enrollment will continue to grow as the city’s population increases.

The SDA is also working on eight other projects across all SDA districts, which consist of underground vault repairs and demolition, roof replacements, masonry repairs, and stucco repairs and replacement, according to an SDA report released during its October meeting. In Newark, Technology and University high schools, along with Cleveland and Salome Ureña elementary schools, are slated for those repairs, which are valued at roughly $7 million.

In 2022, the SDA also completed structural repairs at Shabazz High School and basement water infiltration at Roberto Clemente Elementary School. The price tag was more than $3.5 million.

The projects are part of Murphy’s cash infusion to the SDA after it authorized almost $1.85 billion for school construction and capital maintenance projects for SDA districts during the 2022 and 2023 state budget cycles. In 2021, $75 million was allocated to districts for capital maintenance and infrastructure projects. Newark received roughly $6.5 million as part of that allocation.

Yet, the funds cover a fraction of facilities improvements in SDA districts. Newark Public Schools is slated to receive more funds for school construction projects as part of the state’s 2024 budget after Murphy allocated another $75 million to the SDA. Those funds have not been disbursed yet, Maier said.

The district is also working on a new assessment of school building repairs and new schools to update its needs since 2016, León has said.

School construction funding up to the state, for now

Newark hasn’t raised its property taxes in the last three years, but school officials have warned that will be an exception rather than the norm moving forward. In recent school board meetings, León has hinted at asking taxpayers to foot the bill for school construction projects.

Through a weighted student formula created under the School Funding Reform Act, New Jersey determines how much aid to send to districts to support education and programming costs across its schools. Newark saw an increase in state aid this year, but it remains $27.7 million short of the budget recommended under the formula, said Valerie Wilson, the district’s school business administrator, during March’s budget hearing.

But state aid calculated under the formula is not meant to pay for school construction or renovation projects.

“You can’t reallocate funding away from staffing and day-to-day operations of a district to fund the facilities needs that are as severe as Newark has right now,” said Farrie from the Education Law Center.

In 2021, the Education Law Center went back to the courts to compel the state to meet its constitutional obligation to fund SDA projects. The court appointed retired Judge Thomas Miller as a special master to write an analysis of the construction projects in those districts.

In his 87-page report, Miller wrote that there is a significant remaining need in the SDA school districts but no long-term plan to fund construction projects.

“The state Supreme Court has clearly said that this is not something that school districts should be funding,” Farrie said. “Newark cannot budget its way out of this hole that SDA has created.”

Last month, in a virtual conversation with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, León said he would need to meet with city and state officials “to really figure out how to grapple and attack” the needs before presenting a bond to city residents. But that solution might not be feasible in Newark.

Wealthier school districts, which have a strong property tax base, often can support a bond for school construction projects, but a city with a smaller property tax base, like Newark, might not have that option.

Newark Public Schools’ operations are supplemented by $138.3 million from local property taxes, or 10.3% of the district’s 2023-24 budget. That number has remained the same for the last three years because Newark taxpayers haven’t seen an increase in their property taxes.

So far, there has been no mention of a bond on the November ballot.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Event: Learn more about the state of segregation in New Jersey schools

2023-10-12T21:05:01+00:00

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Join us on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Newark Public Library main branch for “The State of Segregation,” a discussion about the pervasiveness of segregation in New Jersey’s schools and what can be done to tackle the problem.

This event is open to the Newark community and families from across the state and is designed to bring residents, journalists, and experts together to address this issue across New Jersey. Each panelist and speaker in this event brings a unique perspective and expertise to the discussion, making it a must-attend event for those interested in education and social justice in the state.

Doors open at 5:15 p.m. for a meet and mingle with journalists from Chalkbeat Newark, NJ Spotlight News, and New York Public Radio (WNYC + Gothamist).

The program officially begins at 6 p.m. with a panel discussion featuring Michael Hill, host of WNYC’s Morning Edition, Colleen O’Dea, data reporter at NJ Spotlight News, and Dr. Charles Payne, director of the Joseph Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Research and co-author of “Segregated Schooling in New Jersey.” They will discuss why New Jersey schools are among the nation’s most segregated.

A second panel discussion, moderated by Jessie Gomez, a reporter with Chalkbeat Newark, begins at 6:30 p.m. and features Newark students and community members who will share their experiences in the city’s schools. We will also discuss the ways in which city and school leaders can promote opportunities for students of color to share their experiences. This panel concludes at 7:30 p.m. and attendees will have a chance to continue the conversation with journalists and experts until 8 p.m.

Your attendance can serve as a vital contribution to the ongoing statewide conversation on school segregation and help inform our reporting in Newark and beyond. The event is free with an RSVP through our Eventbrite page.

Nearly 70 years since the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, New Jersey continues to grapple with a segregated school system. In Newark and other cities in the state, teaching staff and school leadership do not always reflect diverse student bodies. Newark Public Schools is made up of roughly 90% Black and Latino students, while teachers from those backgrounds make up just over half of the teaching staff.

Most recently, state Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy issued a decision on a segregation lawsuit that acknowledges New Jersey public schools are segregated by race but says plaintiffs failed to prove the “entire” school system is segregated “across all districts.” The state has the

constitutional power to take action but New Jersey should not be held responsible for the “unlawful, persistent, and pervasive” segregation in its educational system, the decision read.

This event is hosted by newsrooms in the “Segregated NJ” reporting collaboration, which includes Chalkbeat Newark, New York Public Radio, and NJ Spotlight News. The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University is providing support for this event.

Judge finds New Jersey has responsibility to address school segregation

2023-10-08T00:16:27+00:00

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In the five-year legal battle to desegregate New Jersey public schools, on Friday a Superior Court judge denied the state’s defense that it should not be held responsible for the “unlawful, persistent, and pervasive” segregation in its educational system.

While acknowledging that state public schools are segregated by race, and that the state has the constitutional power to take action, Judge Robert Lougy’s decision also found that the activists who made the allegations failed to prove the “entire” school system is segregated “across all districts.”

Students, educators, activists, experts, and community members have been waiting for more than a year and a half in anticipation of Lougy’s ruling, which came after 5 p.m. Friday, ahead of a three-day weekend for many public schools and state offices because of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday.

The 99-page decision was complex and nuanced — a reflection of the historic lawsuit itself.

“While plaintiffs have not demonstrated that the entire system is constitutionally repugnant, that shortcoming may be a question of scale, and defendants fail to prove that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law,” Lougy wrote. He also said the state’s defense failed “on both legal and factual ground,” calling it “unpersuasive.”

The opinion opens three routes for parties in the lawsuit: a move to trial, negotiations, or an appeal process. There is also an option for either party to ask for the court to clarify or reconsider parts of the opinion.

Counsel for the defendants — which include the State of New Jersey, the state Board of Education, and Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan — was still reviewing the decision as of Saturday afternoon, said Sharon Lauchaire, the interim communications director for the state’s Office of the Attorney General, in an email.

The case also has intervening defendants which include representatives of charter and renaissance schools.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs — Latino Action Network, NAACP New Jersey State Conference, other advocacy groups, and nine students from schools throughout the state, including Newark — said in a Saturday statement that they are analyzing the opinion and discussing it with their clients and stakeholders.

“The court agreed with us on two essential points,” attorney Lawrence Lustberg, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said in his statement. “One, New Jersey’s schools are deeply segregated by race, and two, the state has a constitutional obligation to address this urgent problem.”

The judge, however, did not agree with the plaintiffs’ allegation that the state has violated equal protection laws by failing to prevent segregation based on socioeconomic background.

The lawsuit the plaintiffs filed five years ago, on the 64th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, claimed that many New Jersey students are denied the social and academic benefits of diversity because of a state law requiring students to attend schools in the communities where they live, which often are deeply segregated by race and class.

By that regard, the lawsuit argued, the public school system violates the state constitution, which is unique in its explicit bans on school segregation, and prior court rulings that held the state responsible for addressing segregation regardless of what caused it.

Activists want the state to create a plan to uproot this deep-seated racial segregation and find ways to better integrate its 1.3 million public school students.

In his opinion, Lougy acknowledged the historical significance and magnitude of the lawsuit.

“Novel and broad do not mean meritless. Plaintiffs maintain that ‘New Jersey’s schools are tragically — and embarrassingly — among the most segregated in the nation,’” Lougy said, quoting the activists’ complaint. “That alleged condition, along with our court’s prohibition of de facto segregation, makes New Jersey a logical choice for such historic claims.”

After the lawsuit was filed in May 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy, a liberal Democrat, authorized an aggressive legal defense that outraged his progressive allies. Despite data showing nearly half of New Jersey’s Black and Latino students attend schools where less than 10% of their classmates are white, the state’s lawyers questioned the extent of school segregation and insisted that it doesn’t always impair student learning.

But the judge found that the evidence showed the state has failed to fix its segregated educational system.

“Plaintiffs allege with sufficient specificity that defendants intentionally failed to exercise their constitutional obligations and authorities to remedy segregation,” Lougy said. “Plaintiffs adequately allege that defendants have, as a self-evident proposition, failed to take sufficient steps to remedy that segregation.”

During the final hearing in March 2022, Deputy Attorney General Christopher Weber said the state recognizes the value of “an integrated education.” But he argued that the plaintiffs relied on “raw data” for only a small group of school districts and failed to prove that the problem stems from state actions.

The state also argued that its changing demographics would require “ongoing and continuous statewide reorganizations.” On this, Lougy agreed with the plaintiffs’ counterargument that the state’s defense “rings of an ‘attitude of helplessness in the face of what is perceived to be inevitable,’” he said in his opinion.

The New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association, one of the intervening defendants, released a statement on Sunday that said they want to start working on remedies with all parties in the case.

“We should be exploring the creation of new charter schools in key districts that are geographically positioned to draw upon a racially and economically diverse student body from surrounding geographies,” said Harry Lee, the association’s president and chief executive officer, in an emailed statement. “The public charter school community stands ready to work with the state and the plaintiffs to increase the number of intentionally diverse public schools in the Garden State.”

In a statement on Saturday, Robert Kim, executive director of Education Law Center, which supported the plaintiffs in the case, stressed the importance of the lawsuit.

“Nearly 70 years after Brown vs. Board, schools in New Jersey and across the nation remain deeply segregated by race,” Kim said. “This deprives them of the opportunity to learn in a diverse learning environment, which is critical not only for their development and education but for our democracy as a whole.”

Patrick Wall contributed reporting to this article.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark. Reach Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools’ state test scores show slow gains as post pandemic recovery efforts continue

2023-10-03T15:36:46+00:00

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Newark Public Schools’ state test scores went up 2 percentage points in both math and English language arts this year, according to data released by the district.

On average, 15% of Newark students in grades 3 to 9 passed math assessments while about 29% passed English language arts tests, spring 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment preliminary scores show. Additionally, English language arts scores did not increase this year for Newark third graders, a grade considered critical for long-term success in literacy.

This year’s new state scores, only the second since 2019, highlight Newark students’ slow recovery from the disruption of remote learning. Last year, district officials implemented tutoring and other academic recovery measures after 2022 state scores showed dismal drops that Superintendent Roger León called “horrible” at the time — passing rates of 13% in math and 27% in English language arts.

The state’s Department of Education has not yet released statewide scores.

“We’re coming out of a unique and historic window caused by the pandemic. And students have been seen to have lost a lot of ground in regard to their achievement,” said Rochanda Jackson, executive director of the Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation, and Testing, who presented the scores at a school board meeting last week.

Many of the trends in Newark — such as a large decline in math scores — are on par with national trends. Test scores in 2022 and this year show results were still behind pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, about 26% of Newark students passed the math test and roughly 36% passed English language arts.

And as schools across the country continue to reel from the effects of the pandemic, marginalized students, such as those from low-income families and different ethnic and racial groups, are among the hardest hit and remain the furthest from recovery.

“I want everyone to understand that the impacts of the pandemic are very real,” said León during last week’s presentation.

Third-grade reading levels remain stagnant

While about 29% of Newark Public School students passed their English language arts tests, only 19% of third graders passed the assessment this year, the lowest of any grade in the city for a second year in a row.

Experts say reading is part of a developmental process that starts at a young age and impacts a child’s likelihood of graduating high school, pursuing college, and ultimately a career. Reading proficiency levels among Black third graders in public schools started to decline in 2019, even before the pandemic, according to a report by The Racial Equity Initiative.

Last year’s initial drop prompted local groups like JerseyCAN, a statewide organization advocating for high-quality public school education, to urge state leaders to develop a plan to improve literacy in public schools. In July, Mayor Ras Baraka launched a 10-point Youth Literacy Action Plan that called on the city’s community partners and programs to get young children reading and writing amid low state test scores.

This year’s scores are “unacceptable,” said Paula White, executive director of JerseyCAN.

“The warnings that began shortly after the pandemic have now escalated to real-time results, with Newark children being deeply affected,” White said.

Among all grade levels, seventh and eighth graders had the highest English language arts scores, each at about 37%, and the greatest increases, surpassing the district’s passing rate. Seventh grade scores increased this year by about 4 percentage points and eight grade scores by roughly 5 percentage points.

In grades 3, 4, and 6 the passing rates remained the same at about 19%, 22%, and 26% respectively.

“Any effort short of overhauling the district’s literacy infrastructure will not work. Newark is in crisis, and we owe it to our children to review every area of the learning process, from teacher training to actually developing a new curriculum,” White added.

Among the district’s 41 elementary schools, 26 increased their proficiency rates in English language arts in comparison to last year’s results. Ten high schools also increased their passing rates in the same subject from last year with five schools increasing their scores by at least 5 percentage points or more.

Of more than 39,000 students across 41 elementary schools, 3,538 students across 41 schools increased their English language arts proficiency levels since 2022, according to Jackson.

Newark Public Schools’ state test scores increased by 2 percentage points, according to spring 2023 results.

Math scores are “the biggest lift” ahead

Newark public school officials have “the biggest lift” in helping students refine their math skills, said León during last week’s presentation.

The overall math passing rate increased from 13% to 15% with grades 3, 4, 7, and 9 surpassing the district average this year by 1 to 8 percentage points.

“The increase in math performance, overall nominal, is there,” Jackson added.

This year, third and fourth graders increased their scores by 4 and 5 percentage points respectively, and sixth and seventh grades each by around 2 percentage points.

Among the district’s 41 elementary schools, 27 increased their math passing rates. Of those, six increased their proficiency levels by at least 5 percentage points. Eight high schools also increased their passing rates this year and of those, three did by at least 5 percentage points.

Jackson said it is important to track student recovery and proficiency increases from one level to another as the district continues to work to address learning loss.

Of more than 39,000 students, 3,146 moved up in math levels since 2022.

District works to address student learning loss

In an effort to improve student achievement, the district has created new curriculums, placed an emphasis on student attendance, and pushed for tutoring at least three times a week.

“It’s extremely important that students are taking advantage of tutoring opportunities,” León added during Thursday’s school board meeting when the results were presented.

Last year, León emphasized the district’s Excel after-school program for grades K-8 as a way to address student trouble areas in reading, writing, math, and other subjects. This year the district also mandated roughly 10,000 public school students attend summer school in an effort to refine critical skills amid low state test scores.

After Jackson’s presentation, board member Crystal Williams was the only member to ask a question about the district’s strategy to improve student performance. León said the district’s program and instruction committee would discuss plans and goals for the year for English language arts when the committee meets in October.

Also in response to William’s question, board member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas said the district aims to reach a “30%” passing rate in the math test by next year, double the number of this year’s 15% math passing rate.

Williams called this year’s results “alarming” on Thursday.

“I would be upset if my child didn’t rank proficient. I just want to know what the plan is,” Williams added.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark schools must assess effects of ‘anti-Blackness,’ identify cultural gaps, Global Studies report recommends

2023-09-28T19:10:05+00:00

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Newark Public Schools must assess the effects of “anti-Blackness” on the school system and foster conversations about racial issues, an unreleased report examining harassment at the city’s School of Global Studies recommends.

The report also calls on the district to build school staff capacity to identify cultural gaps and create an environment that is racially conscious and inclusive.

The recommendations provide a glimpse into a scathing review of the cultural, religious, and racial dynamics at Global Studies after incidents of harassment against Black students and staff surfaced nearly a year ago. The news also comes as the high school’s vice principal Hoda Abdelwahab, who was among those called out for handling the issues poorly, left the district.

It’s unclear if the recommendations will be implemented in all public schools.

This is the first time Newark revealed details about the report, which were shared in a board meeting this week. In June, Superintendent Roger León said the review would not be released publicly but rather would serve as “an internal document” to help inform a strategy to tackle racial issues in city schools.

In a call with Chalkbeat Newark on Wednesday, vice president Dawn Haynes, one of the board members who has read the report, said: “It was traumatizing to read.”

“Those students and staff that were affected by the environment at the School of Global Studies show a deeper concern with America as a whole with racism and separation that should never be tolerated in any school,” said Haynes, whose daughter was among those who transferred out of the school due to the ongoing religious and racist harassment she experienced.

Last November, Global Studies students spoke publicly about their experiences of racial harassment during their time at the high school. The issues drew heavy criticism from the community about the way the school and district leaders handled the situation and led several students to transfer and some teachers to resign.

The investigation, conducted by consulting firm CREED Strategies, began in January after board members approved a data-sharing agreement with the firm.

Three recommendations were mentioned during Tuesday’s school board meeting but during the discussion, Haynes said there “were more than three recommendations that we agreed to have as well as implement in each school.”

According to the recommendations shared by the district, Newark schools must work to do the following:

“Assess how anti-Blackness and other deficit beliefs” impact existing school systems and practices and “replace them with those that create a culture that is intentionally racially conscious and inclusive.”
Create and nurture a school culture where “issues of race, culture, and other emotionally charged topics can be discussed openly” and “are integrated into the instruction and learning of the school.”
“Commit to culturally responsive-sustaining education transformation” that develops the capacity of all school staff “to identify cultural gaps in their practices and builds the knowledge and skills they need to integrate students’ race, ethnicity, and culture.”

Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering did not respond to a request for comment on the recommendations or the district’s plan to implement them.

Emails obtained by Chalkbeat Newark in March show parents emailed the school’s principal Nelson Ruiz, vice principal Abdelwahab, who started a new position at Millburn Township Public Schools in August according to her LinkedIn profile, and other school leaders begging for an end to the ongoing harassment. At least one parent called for the removal of Ruiz, who remains the principal of the school.

Also in June, León said he would call on Ruiz to help other principals deal with similar issues at their schools and provide guidance as needed.

Dr. Lauren Wells led the report of the high school and interviewed students, staff, and parents at the center of the incidents. Wells is Baraka’s former chief education officer whose firm also helped create NPS Clarity 2020, the district’s one-year plan laying the foundation for change in schools after returning to local control.

During the August school board meeting, board members said they had not reviewed the unreleased CREED Strategies report. Board members were told they could read the report by setting up a time with the district.

Last month, two former teachers filed legal claims with the state after suffering “severe emotional problems” due to the incidents they experienced at the school, they said. The claims are the first legal actions against the district since the issues surfaced and could lead to a lawsuit.

In July, Newark Schools completed its own investigation of the incidents after the former teachers filed complaints with the district’s affirmative action office alleging the school’s principal Ruiz, Abdelwahab, and department chair Shagun Kukeja created a hostile work environment at the high school based on race.

Global Studies first opened its doors in 2020 welcoming ninth graders to a high school offering a global perspective where students could study different cultures and prepare to study abroad.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board votes in Hasani Council as president

2023-09-27T02:46:47+00:00

Board members in New Jersey’s largest school district voted in a new board president to succeed Asia Norton, who stepped down last week.

Hasani Council won a unanimous vote at a meeting Tuesday to be the new leader of the Newark Board of Education, as Norton leaves for a new role with the Superior Court of New Jersey.

“We are here for one purpose, and that is to serve and make sure we keep students at the center of every decision that we make,” Council said on Tuesday after thanking his board colleagues for their support.

Norton’s resignation and Council’s elevation leave a vacant seat on the board, just days before members will meet to plan their goals for the year, which include hiring a board attorney.

The board has 65 days to fill the vacant seat, according to New Jersey law. The board is accepting nominations for the role, and those interested must submit a letter of intent and resume to the Newark Board of Education by 4 p.m. on Sept. 29.

Hasani Council, a board member with longstanding political ties in Newark, will succeed Asia Norton.

Board members Dawn Haynes and Vereliz Santana will remain as vice presidents.

Council, a Newark native and alum of University High School, has longstanding political ties in Newark and currently serves as chief of staff to his father, Patrick Council, who represents the South Ward on the City Council. The younger Council also serves as Democratic district leader in the 36th District of the South Ward.

He formerly worked as a legislative aide to former City Council member John Sharpe James.

“You are the first (Newark Public Schools) student that is assuming this leadership role for our city,” said Superintendent Roger León, a former principal at University High School.

Council joined the board in 2020 after running on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, a group backed by New Jersey politicians including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, state Sen. Teresa Ruiz, and members of the Newark City Council.

The eight remaining school board members have been endorsed by the coalition, as has been the case for the past few years.

Board members on Tuesday also expressed their gratitude to Norton, who has served on the board since 2018, when the state returned Newark Public Schools to local control. Norton announced her resignation in a Facebook post Sept. 18. She graduated with a law degree from Rutgers Law School in May.

“It’s not easy being in law school and presiding over a board in the magnitude and the dignity in which she did, and we thank her for her service,” Haynes said Tuesday.

The Newark Board of Education will meet on Thursday, Sept. 28, at Mount Vernon Elementary School for its regular board meeting, and on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the district’s central office for its retreat meeting.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark teacher pathway program brings community support to aspiring educators

2023-09-22T17:00:20+00:00

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Tricia Alcaraz is a proud first-grade teacher, but her journey into the classroom came with long nights of studying, financial worries, tests – and support from a Newark nonprofit.

A single mother from Trinidad, Alcaraz always wanted to work with children. After trying pediatric nursing and running her own daycare, she spent 15 years working in New York City schools. She started as a paraprofessional and worked her way up to a teaching role while taking college classes, but she was never a fully certified teacher. In 2021, she bought her first home and moved across the Hudson River.

With a mortgage on her mind and bills mounting, Alcaraz spent six months applying to teaching jobs in New Jersey as she navigated the certification process. With years of classroom experience and a master’s degree in early childhood education, Alcaraz was offered a two-year teacher associate contract by Great Oaks Legacy Charter School in Newark, and needed to earn her credentials in the state during that time.

A Newark nonprofit called Gateway U helped her get across the finish line.

“I absolutely needed it,” said Alcaraz about the nonprofit, which offers college-degree programs and an accelerated teacher pathway program that helps aspiring teachers by providing wraparound services and study materials as they prepare for their required exams. “I was going through some financial stuff and other issues but they took personal interest in me to make sure that everything was going good.”

As school districts across New Jersey struggle to fill teaching positions and retain staff, observers say programs like those at Gateway U could help potential educators who face financial struggles or other barriers land certified teaching roles.

“As a former school leader, I think about the talent I would have had to pass up,” said Saymah Nah, Gateway U executive director. “Lots of people in our community have a knack for teaching but some don’t have the resources to make a career out of it. The biggest reason being their finances.”

During the 2020-21 school year, New Jersey reported teacher shortages in math, science, world languages, special education, vocational training, and English as a second language. Newark faces shortages of bilingual and special education teachers.

Newark Public Schools started this school year with 77 teaching vacancies and 400 new teachers, according to district spokesperson Nancy Deering.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, where Alcaraz is a first grade teacher, has 166 teaching positions and they’ve hired a total of 84 new teachers for this school year. Five other Great Oak staff members participated in Gateway U’s program, “a partner in finding talent and supporting people’s passions for teaching,” said Jared Taillefer, executive director at the charter network.

Alcaraz joined the summer pilot of the teacher pathway program where she joined 15 other students in a six-week intensive “bootcamp” to prepare for certification exams and get help completing the rest of her requirements.

The accelerated pathway program is designed for people like Alcaraz, local degree-holding school staff looking to become eligible for full-time teaching positions in the state.

“With the right partners, the right model, and support, we can come together to really make change and develop sustainable solutions to the teacher shortage,” Nah said.

“Everything I could cut out was beneficial”

Gateway U’s teacher program includes two pathways: one for students who have college degrees and one for school staff who need academic support to earn bachelor’s degrees.

In order to become a teacher in the Garden State, future educators must earn a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher preparation program, pass certification exams, and complete student-teaching requirements.

Alcaraz started her second year of teaching in New Jersey this school year and since her New York teaching certification did not transfer over, she wasn’t sure what requirements she needed to fulfill.

One of the ways Gateway U recruits candidates is through school leaders who nominate “exceptional individuals who need to be in front of kids,” said Kwame Floyd, a consultant and senior advisor for Gateway U.

Alcaraz was referred to the teacher pathway program by her school’s principal, and then screened to ensure she met the requirements, including at least two years of school-based experience, a college degree, and a 3.0 grade point average.

After being accepted into the accelerated program, Alcaraz learned what she needed to complete her teaching requirements and received personalized support as she prepared for her certification exams in English, reading, and math. The program also covered her test fees.

Alcaraz completed her student teaching requirements over the summer and said Gateway U’s program gave her the flexibility to fit everything into her schedule. She also received food assistance and program staff checked in on her every week.

“There are so many exams I didn’t know about and I wasn’t aware of what I needed to take,” Alcaraz added. “I’m a single mom, so everything I could cut out was beneficial.”

Diversifying the teacher workforce

Of the 16 students in this year’s summer pilot program, 95% identified as individuals of color. Gateway U targets recruitment to both diversify the teaching force in Newark and support minorities in getting college degrees.

Studies have shown that a diverse teaching workforce allows students to connect with educators from different backgrounds and gives teachers a chance to work and learn from each other.

A Newark native, Nah said the teacher pathway program is a way to help future educators get into the classrooms quicker and without thousands of dollars in debt.

Many Gateway U candidates come from low-income backgrounds or are the first in their families to go to college. Alcaraz was among the first in her family to go to college and buy a home.

Some Gateway U participants need help accessing an affordable college-degree program, housing assistance, childcare, and other services outside of their career goals, Nah said. Gateway U also offers students an opportunity to earn a degree for no more than $7,000 per year, through a partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, a private, accredited non-profit college.

“There are so many organizations out there but people don’t really know about them,” Nah added. “This is about breaking down silos and bringing everything together so people can navigate life easier.”

In January, Gateway U will welcome its second cohort to the accelerated program where over the course of 12 weeks, participants will meet in person at its student center in downtown Newark and virtually to work on preparing for their teaching requirements. Interested applicants must apply by October 20.

Alcaraz is grateful for the program’s support as she moved her life to New Jersey. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a degree in special education — something she hopes to pursue once her finances get better.

“I just love kids. I feel like this is the time, the most delicate time in their life and they need caring, nurturing people who are genuinely interested in their education,” Alcaraz added.

Clarification: Sept. 29, 2023: The story was clarified to show that the Gateway U program offers wraparound services and study materials to help local school staff and future educators in their pursuit of becoming a licensed teacher in New Jersey. Gateway U alone will not lead to educator certification.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board president resigns two weeks into school year

2023-09-18T23:35:05+00:00

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Newark school board president Asia Norton has resigned from her role on the board, she confirmed to Chalkbeat Newark on Tuesday.

The news comes two weeks after the start of the school year and in the midst of the school board working to hire its own attorney. Her resignation is “effective immediately,” according to her Facebook post.

Norton did not cite a reason for her unexpected resignation but on Tuesday, she told Chalkbeat Newark she “stepped down because I work for the superior court of New Jersey, Essex Vicinage.” She didn’t explain further.

In her Facebook post, Norton wrote: “I am departing from the Board but I am still here tearing down barriers to help our students reach their full potential.”

It is unclear who will fill Norton’s role or take on the duties as board president, which include running school board meetings and addressing questions or uncertainties prior to meetings. Under New Jersey law, the board has 65 days to select Norton’s replacement and post the position publicly. The board must also allow for public comment before an appointment is made.

Currently, board members Dawn Haynes and Vereliz Santana serve as vice presidents.

Norton has been a board member since 2018 and her abrupt departure comes as members continue to deliberate the next steps in their search to hire a board attorney and concerns grow over a “drawn out” hiring process.

During August’s school board business meeting, Norton was at odds with other board members after she suggested bringing in an outside attorney to help them in the search, further delaying the hiring process.

Board members said they would hear from an outside attorney during last week’s special board meeting. But at the meeting, the board went into a two-hour closed session and board members did not disclose what was discussed.

The news also comes after board members raised concerns over the need to secure an attorney before the start of the school year, and the ongoing battle to release a long-awaited review of the cultural climate at Newark School of Global Studies following reported incidents of racial harassment at the school.

“Our children define who they are and control their narratives,” wrote Norton on Facebook. “I have pulled from their strength in tough times because they are the definition of perseverance.”

A third-generation Newark resident and South Ward native, Norton was first elected to the board in 2018 and hails from a family of educators. Before being elected to the board, Norton was a teacher for seven years at North Star Academy, KIPP Life Academy charter school, and Marion P. Thomas charter school. She then transitioned to a role as literacy coach at Elizabeth Public Schools with the Children’s Literacy Initiative, according to her biography on the district’s website.

During her time as a board member, Norton worked on partnerships with the New York Federal Reserve, BridgeYear, and other organizations to expand educational experiences for Newark students. She also advocated for an equity officer position within the district to build programs and support policies that create “an equitable education system for all students,” according to her biography.

She also worked with board and community members to improve the representation of Black and Brown people in the district’s curriculum, her biography read.

Norton received her bachelor’s degree from Simmons College in Boston and a master’s degree in sociology and education from Columbia University Teachers College. She received her law degree from Rutgers Law School in May 2023.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark schools receive $8.9 million federal grant to implement mental health programs

2023-09-14T16:36:12+00:00

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New Jersey’s largest school district was awarded an $8.9 million federal grant to boost mental health support as the district continues to address the mental and emotional effects of the pandemic on students.

Newark Public Schools is one of two districts in New Jersey to receive the Project AWARE grant funding, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Through the grant, Newark will receive $1,799,924 a year for the next five years to implement programs, practices, and policies that are “recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and equity-based.”

School districts previously awarded the grant used the funds to hire mental health coordinators, counselors, and social workers. Others used the money to provide professional development training or expand existing school-based social-emotional programs.

Newark plans to create new policies and programs to support student wellness and create healthy learning environments.

“Included in the goals of AWARE is to increase and improve access to culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed school and community-based activities and services,” wrote Dani Bennett, spokesperson for SAMHSA.

Mental health problems among young people were on the rise before COVID, but spiked during the pandemic. Teens also reported feeling disconnected as the pandemic disrupted student learning and limited access to their friends, school-based social services, and after-school activities such as sports and clubs.

As a result, the need for mental health and behavioral support intensified after the pandemic. But a study released last year found that Black and Latinx students in New Jersey have less access to school mental health staff today than they did a decade ago. In 2008, public schools across New Jersey had 8.2 mental health staff per 1,000 students on average, which increased to 8.6 staff per 1,000 students in 2020, according to the New Jersey Policy Perspective.

In Newark, where more than 90% of public school students identify as Black or Hispanic, youth and families experience inequities in accessing mental health and behavioral resources, an issue the school district aims to tackle through Project AWARE - Newark. This is the first time the district has received this funding.

Newark plans to boost mental health support

As part of the initiative, Newark will work to meet 18 goals so all students in the district get better access to mental health support and services tailored to their needs, according to the district’s strategy. Newark will work with the New Jersey Department of Education, the state’s mental health agency, and the city’s community mental health agencies to establish a tiered system of mental health support over the next five years.

Among its goals, Newark will develop “a culturally aligned, affirming socio-emotional universal curriculum” for all students, according to the district’s strategy. The district will also develop positive messaging to motivate students and safe spaces in schools such as after-school clubs “that promote affinity spaces for historically marginalized youth.”

The district must also create a suicide awareness training policy, implement prevention programs for suicide and substance use, train staff on mental health awareness, and develop a school safety and violence prevention program, among other goals to promote healthy learning environments for students and staff.

Bennett, the spokesperson for SAMHSA, said Newark must also develop a “Disparity Impact Statement,” a report that identifies racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minority populations at the highest risk for experiencing behavioral health disparities. The district must also track and collect data about its new programs and report to SAMHSA on a quarterly basis.

Since the return to in-person learning, Newark schools have worked to create more mental support for students. In the district’s 2022-23 school year budget, Newark allocated funds to boost social workers and counselors for the district’s 39,000 students. The budget covered salaries for 45 new social worker positions, for a total of 164 social workers, and one new counselor position, for a total of 89 counselors.

In 2022, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also announced extra support for mental health services through a regional model, known as the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Service Network. The model aims to provide mental health services to more students across the state, according to Murphy’s administration last year.

Between 2018 and 2022, 205,874 students across the country have been referred for mental health or related services under Project AWARE. Additionally, 796 policy changes across the country have occurred at the state and local levels to improve mental health-related programs and services as a result of the grant.

The Jersey City Board of Education was also awarded this grant in New Jersey.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark students struggle in hot schools amid heat wave

2023-09-08T10:00:00+00:00

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The night before the second day of classes in Newark, Quera McGilvery placed water bottles in the freezer so her two children could enjoy ice cold water throughout the school day.

But by the time her freshman son, Tyquir, was done with first period on Wednesday, he noticed that the frozen water in his bottle had completely melted. His school doesn’t have central air conditioning or water fountains dispensing cold water and relies on fans or window units to ward off the heat.

With temperatures soaring into the 90s this week, his water was only getting warmer.

Newark Public Schools students returned to classes this week amid a heat wave bringing thick humidity and scorching temperatures to the city of more than 300,000 people. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Newark and the surrounding areas earlier this week while school districts in other parts of the state dismissed students early from school.

This week, Newark residents saw temperatures as high as 97 degrees on Thursday.

Parents such as McGilvery were hoping Newark would issue early dismissals, especially for students who are enduring the heat with no air conditioning and few operable water fountains in the district’s older buildings. Newark Public Schools students followed a normal schedule this week.

“Can you imagine having to travel up and down a stairwell with people everywhere around you in hot weather?” said McGilvery whose son goes to American History High School. “How could you really sit there and think straight in this heat?”

Studies have shown Newark is one of the hottest cities in the nation. The average school building in the district was built more than 90 years ago, and many suffer from inoperable water fountains, outdated boilers, no central air conditioning systems, and dilapidated restrooms.

Rundown buildings can lower students’ enthusiasm for school and, in some cases, make their learning environments uncomfortable. Last year, Newark worked on opening new schools such as Nelson Mandela Elementary School and building new ones such as the School of Architecture and Interior Design.

The district has plans to build more schools and undertake repairs at more than 60 existing schools, but little is known about the work to install central heating, ventilation, and air conditioner systems in older schools such as Lincoln, Lafayette, and Avon elementary schools, among others. The district also approved a nearly $5 million contract to purchase and install touchless water fountains across all district schools but the installation work is ongoing.

Newark Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jacquetta Thomas is the mother of a senior student at Eagle Academy High School, located on the fourth floor of Weequahic High School. Thomas, an alum of Newark Public Schools, says she dealt with no air conditioners and faulty water fountains as a student and also faced the problem with her other son, a now-22-year-old alum of American History.

“We need our kids to go to school to get funding but kids will be uncomfortable sitting in their hot classrooms,” Thomas said.

On the first day of school, Thomas packed frozen water bottles for her son since the water fountains at Eagle and Weequahic don’t work properly, she said. On the same day, her grandson, who goes to Chancellor Avenue, stained his polo shirt with blood after a nosebleed due to the heat.

Thomas said she spoke with Newark’s school business administrator Valerie Wilson and offered to donate window air conditioner units for classes but was told the district was working on other solutions. She doesn’t understand why the problem continues.

“Wilson said she’s been handling the budget for 27 years and for 27 years she couldn’t find money in the budget for an AC?” said Thomas about Wilson, who’s been the district’s business administrator since 1996.

Teachers are also dealing with the effects of the heat wave.

One teacher at Peshine Elementary School, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of losing employment, said the window unit in her eighth grade classroom broke and “it’s been really hot in the hallways.”

On the first day of school, she also got dizzy in her classroom and her students kept asking if they could get an air conditioner. The water fountains at her school do not work properly and cold water isn’t easily accessible, the teacher said.

“Everyone was coming to me asking me if I had water or ice. I felt so bad I ran out,” the teacher said.

Last year, Superintendent Roger León promised that touchless water fountains would be installed districtwide by the start of last school year but the water fountains are found in only a few schools including NJ Regional Day, Newark School of Global Studies, and John F. Kennedy School. McGilvery said she has seen touchless water fountains at other schools but none at American History or University High School where her daughter goes. As of late August, the district reported fountains still needed to be installed in 16 schools.

Since Monday, the Newark Teachers Union has asked the district to let students out early this week and encouraged parents to keep their children home or pick them up early if they felt the need to do so, said union president John Abeigon.

Union officials also encouraged teachers to use their PTO time if they felt unwell, he added. Having no air conditioners in some schools is a recurring problem that happens every year, Abeigon said.

“I’m not blaming the current administration but the neglect of having no AC in schools has been going on for decades,” he added.

Weather forecasts predict lower temperatures for Newark next week but as children continue to deal with hot learning environments, parents such as McGilvery and Thomas will keep freezing water bottles and advocating for their kids.

The district “has billions of dollars and they’re building this building and that building,” McGilvery said. “Worry about the schools you have right now and take care of them.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board doubles pay for consulting services from Attallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s oldest daughter

2023-08-30T14:00:21+00:00

The Newark Board of Education approved an extra $200,000 pay for a consulting firm operated by Attallah Shabazz, the oldest daughter of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, which is working with two city high schools, including one named after her late father.

The firm Legacy Inc., “Everybody Has One,” founded by Shabazz, will receive a total of $400,000 for consultancy work at the Newark School of Global Studies and Malcolm X Shabazz High School — double the original $200,000 approved in March. The initial contract was approved in October 2021 for a two-year period ending in October 2023 but was extended to August 2025 after being renewed in March.

The scope of work was also amended to include “study abroad and international research projects,” said Valerie Wilson, school board business administrator, during last week’s school board business meeting.

Shabazz’s work will support students with “study abroad and international research projects” and “getting our students the ability to have internships,” Wilson said during Tuesday’s meeting after board member Crystal Williams questioned the resolution to increase the pay.

The amended contract with Shabazz, who describes herself as a global ambassador and cites expertise in global issues, comes amid concerns about racial and cultural tensions among students at both high schools but the specifics of her work remain unclear.

This school year, racial tensions at Global Studies prompted some students to transfer out of the high school and several teachers to resign in the wake of reported incidents of racial harassment. A separate consulting firm conducted a review of the school’s cultural climate, but it has not been released publicly.

In 2022, Shabazz High School grappled with violence, disorder, and low academic achievement. At that time, the district said reported incidents at the school were investigated and addressed and steps to improve learning and safety at the school were taken.

Shabazz did not say if she was aware of the issues at the high schools during a call with Chalkbeat Newark on Friday. She said she has plans to support students in their study abroad programs this year but did not go into detail about her work.

Shabazz did not provide details about her previous work with the high schools but said she looks forward to presenting her work “when we are in a position to present” and when “young people can speak about it.”

“I will inform you when it’s time to do that,” said Shabazz after being asked about her work with students this year. “I need to make sure all key people are part of it, and that includes the students.”

District spokeswoman Nancy Deering, in an email after this story was originally published, said that Shabazz “is a leading expert in every topic she discusses.” Deering added that Shabazz’s “efforts in service of the district, are in keeping with her own ‘parents’ legacy building.”

According to the amended contract, Shabazz and her company will provide “unspecifiable global education enhancement consultancy” with the goal of engaging in “strategic partnerships needed but are not limited to local, regional national, and international partners” that will “increase extended classroom experiences.”

The services will include a review and evaluation of courses, as well as helping students find “suitable study abroad programs that align with their academic interests and personal goals,” the contract read.

Shabazz will also provide students with guidance on understanding and adapting to different cultures, customs, and communication styles, support students in their research on global issues, facilitate collaboration with international experts, encourage students to embrace diversity, and conduct workshops, according to the contract.

The contract points to the district’s need to hire a consultant with “an extensive global network” to provide services and connections for the Global Studies and Shabazz High School students.

“The overall goal for the consultant is to assist principals and [the] district with developing strategic partnerships that will enhance the content major studies in Arabic language and International Relations, and Chinese language, STEAM fields, and International Business,” the original contract reads.

In February 2020, Newark Superintendent Roger León and Shabazz met to “strategize major new initiatives at Malcolm X Shabazz High School and the Newark School of Global Studies,” prior to Global Studies’ opening in September of that year, according to a press release on the district’s website. It is unclear what initiatives Shabazz worked on at both high schools.

According to Shabazz’s biography and cover letter, the former Prime Minister of Belize recognized her as a “key advisor on International Cultural Affairs and Project Development.” In 2002, he appointed her as “the Ambassador-at-Large representing the country of Belize internationally and in perpetuity.”

She is the oldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark failed to investigate sexual harassment complaints, U.S. Department of Education finds

2023-08-29T15:00:02+00:00

Newark Public Schools repeatedly failed to investigate dozens of complaints of sexual harassment and did not take appropriate action to address substantiated complaints over a six-year span, a federal compliance review found.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found nine violations of Title IX, a federal law protecting students from discrimination on the basis of sex in schools and colleges, according to a letter sent from the department to Newark Superintendent Roger León on Monday.

The district last week approved a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title IX regulations and its response to complaints and reports of sexual harassment and assault in schools.

“OCR determined that the district discriminated against students based on sex by failing to respond to incidents of sexual harassment and assault and that it failed to coordinate its responses through its designated Title IX coordinator, among other Title IX violations,” the federal department said in a press release on Monday.

The review included an analysis of 80 sexual harassment complaints across district elementary and high schools, including Barringer and Weequahic High Schools and Dr. E. Alma Flagg Elementary School, which reported a high number of incidents. The complaints include allegations that employees sexually assaulted, kissed, and touched students, as well as incidents involving sexual assault between students.

OCR also interviewed 27 current and former staff and reviewed the district’s sexual harassment procedures in handling sexual harassment complaints. The new findings are the latest in a series of harassment and diversity issues impacting students and employees in city schools.

In June 2022, a lawsuit filed by a former employee claimed she was harassed and intimidated by district upper management and a lawsuit filed in August 2022 alleged that Science Park High School principal Darleen Gearhart discriminated against an employee, made racist comments, and created a hostile and retaliatory work environment at Sussex Avenue School. Most recently, students at the Newark School of Global Studies reported experiencing racial and religious harassment at the high school last year.

Newark Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment about the review on Monday.

U.S. Department of Education reviews Title IX compliance

As part of the federal office’s review, OCR reviewed 80 complaints and “closely reviewed” schools with a high number of complaints, according to the department’s letter to the district. During the investigation, the office found an additional employee-to-student complaint for the 2016-17 school year and five more during the 2021-22 school year that the district had not investigated.

The review included nine of the district’s 18 high schools and 23 of the district’s 41 elementary schools that received sexual harassment complaints. As part of the review, the department selected Barringer, East Side, West Side, and Weequahic High Schools for “close review” and found that Barringer and East Side High Schools received the most complaints, or roughly 26% each, according to the letter. Weequahic High School received three complaints, two involving students with disabilities, the letter further read.

In addition to selecting schools with a high number of complaints for close review, the office also reviewed incidents of sexual harassment of students by employees at Central High School, Chancellor Elementary School, Horton Elementary School, and Peshine Avenue School.

Specifically, OCR found that the district failed to investigate and “respond appropriately” to reported incidents of sexual harassment of students by employees during school years 2016-17 through 2019-20 and 2021-22, the letter said. It also failed to investigate multiple incidents of alleged sexual harassment among students during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. Instead, the district deferred the investigation of employee-to-student harassment to the state’s Department of Children and Families Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit to determine what measures should be implemented, the letter said.

“The district repeatedly failed to respond to incidents of student-to-student sexual harassment and to address the effects of such harassment on targeted students, did not take sufficient steps to prevent recurrence of harassment, and failed to provide adequate notice of the investigation outcomes to targeted students and their parents,” according to the letter to León.

OCR also reviewed two more high schools that restricted student admission by application: Science Park High School, which reported one incident of student-to-student sexual harassment, and Eagle Academy for Young Men, which reported no incidents, the letter said.

Among elementary schools, the office decided to “closely review” Flagg Elementary “because it received 19% of the complaints at elementary schools alleging student-to-student sexual harassment,” the letter further read.

Among the procedural violations, the federal office found that Newark’s Title IX coordinator did not, and currently does not, oversee the district’s response to sexual harassment complaints among students. The district’s Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying coordinator, Rashon Dwight, currently oversees student sexual harassment complaints. Parents and employees were also unaware of the coordinator’s role, the letter to León read.

Newark also failed to implement and comply with a grievance procedure that complied with new amendments to Title IX regulations. OCR also found concerns with the district’s recordkeeping system to track incidents of sexual harassment across schools.

Under the agreement with the department approved on Thursday, Newark agreed to resolve the violations.

The resolution agreement says Newark Public Schools will:

Ensure the Title IX coordinator oversees all of the district’s efforts to comply with the federal sex discrimination law and district investigations of sexual harassment involving its students and employees.
Develop a program to assess the effectiveness of the district’s Title IX anti-discrimination efforts.
Revise federal anti-discrimination policies and procedures to comply with Title IX regulations.
Train staff and students on how to identify sex discrimination and the reporting procedures.
Maintain records of sexual harassment reports.
Review incidents of employee-to-student and student-to-student sexual harassment from school years 2017-2018 through 2021-2022 to determine if further action is needed to provide a resolution for each.
Provide a notice of nondiscrimination that complies with federal sex discrimination laws.
Conduct an annual school climate survey for district employees and students to evaluate the climate at each district school as it relates to sexual harassment and identify the next steps for OCR to review and approve.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board attorney search delayed after attempt to ramp up hiring fails

2023-08-23T20:46:27+00:00

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Newark school board members will not hire an attorney before the start of the academic year despite plans to ramp up the hiring process over the summer.

Instead, the Newark Board of Education will hear from an education law expert next month to better understand the function of an attorney for the nine-member school board, according to discussions during the first school board business meeting of the year on Tuesday.

During the meeting, board president Asia Norton said she wants to ensure the board doesn’t do anything that would “jeopardize the district, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally.” She asked the district’s general counsel, Brenda Liss, for guidance in the search during a board committee discussion meeting prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

“I still think that we are digesting what [a board attorney] actually means,” said Norton on Tuesday. “And so to bring in a third party that has familiarity in this area will assist us in framing what our expectations of this individual will provide us.”

Tuesday’s discussion comes nearly eight months after the board passed a resolution to hire a separate attorney for the board after news of Superintendent Roger León’s contract renewal in January sparked criticism from community members and raised questions about the board’s legal authority. It also comes after board members raised concerns over a “drawn-out” hiring process in June the need to secure an attorney before the start of the school year, and the ongoing battle to release a long-awaited review of the cultural climate at Newark School of Global Studies in the wake of reported incidents of racial harassment at the school.

In May, the board solicited proposals from interested law firms and in June, received 12 proposals. During a school board meeting in June, board members discussed creating an ad-hoc committee to evaluate candidates, review proposals, and conduct interviews before a decision was made in August. Since then, the board has not started its process of interviewing candidates.

In response to Norton’s request, Liss suggested the board hear from David Rubin of The Busch Law Firm, a New Jersey attorney who’s practiced education law in the state since 1977, during the board’s Sept. 30 retreat meeting. The retreat had previously been scheduled for Aug. 19.

“He has done a number of presentations to board members and school attorneys,” said Liss, who also described Rubin as the “preeminent education attorney in the state of New Jersey, on all matters relating to public school districts.”

Rubin represents a number of school districts as well as schools and is an expert on school board governance, Liss added.

Norton also proposed the idea of selecting a firm that is already pre-authorized by the district to serve as the board’s legal counsel. The firms could serve as the board’s attorney since there is no conflict of interest according to the rules of attorney ethics, Liss said.

“Those who are already representing the school district are not in an adverse relationship to the board of education and that’s part of what Mr. Rubin, I believe, we’ll be discussing,” Liss added.

Board attorney is an ‘urgent matter,’ members say

Board member Crystal Williams did not agree that a district-authorized law firm could serve as the board’s attorney. During the meeting, Williams said hiring a lawyer for the board is “an urgent matter.” She added that a law firm approved by the district “cannot represent the nine-member board without that conflict there” or be able to provide “great legal advice without repercussions from the district.”

“Our attorney is for us to go to, for me to call and say hey, this is what just happened. I don’t know. It seems a little gray and I need advice,” Williams said.

Board member Murray-Thomas said there could be a possibility of a potential conflict of interest within the board of education. A board attorney “that is paid by the district may at some point, have different interests than the board members elected to serve that district,” Murray-Thomas said.

She also pointed to the early years of Newark Public Schools before schools were racially integrated, and the state’s 25-year takeover of the district as reasons to protect the nine-member board for the future.

“We have a history and a legacy of injustice and in order for that to be undone, there has to be processes and procedures in place to prevent that from ever happening again,” Murray-Thomas said.

Vice president Dawn Haynes said she had “no problem listening to counsel Rubin” but did not understand why the board is considering listening to a presentation after June’s discussions about potentially interviewing candidates.

She also mentioned her ongoing requests to make public the CREED strategies report, a review of the racial, cultural, and religious dynamics at Newark’s School of Global Studies, and the need for a board attorney to help understand why the report has not been released.

In June, León said the report was meant to help the district design a strategy to tackle racial issues in city schools and was meant to serve as “an internal document for us to consider.” Board members have not received the report but were told they could read the report by setting up a time with the district to do so.

“We’re still waiting for information that can ultimately either help our district and bring it out of the dark ages of racism and white supremacy and discrimination within our district or we can be stagnated in this same space,” Haynes added.

She would have rather had a discussion about the candidates who submitted proposals, Haynes said during the meeting. In response, Norton said she is treading lightly on the board attorney process because “the board is still learning about the process as we are creating the process.”

Board members agreed to hear from Rubin but voted to do so before September’s retreat meeting. The board will select dates and issue notice of a special meeting in September, Norton said.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Former Newark teachers suffered ‘emotional problems’ due to harassment, racial hostility, according to legal claims

2023-08-18T10:00:00+00:00

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Two former Newark teachers claim they suffered “severe emotional problems” leading them to seek “psychological counseling” after experiencing racial harassment at a city high school, according to legal claims filed in June.

Before resigning from their roles earlier this year, Tammy Davis and Nubia Lumumba, Black women and former English teachers at the Newark School of Global Studies, said they “suffered harassment and racial hostility by students and supervisors” last school year. The former Newark teachers also filed claims with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights, which are currently being reviewed by the state.

As a result of the “unlawful and unreasonable treatment” at Global Studies, both educators felt their “worth as a teacher and human being has been diminished,” according to a tort claim, a legal notice prior to a lawsuit that describes acts from a person or employer that harm another person.

Davis and Lumumba’s lawyer, David Balk of The Balk Law Firm, filed the claims on their behalf and named Global Studies principal Nelson Ruiz, vice principal Hoda Abdelwahab, department chair Shagun Kukeja, affirmative action officer Dr. Yolanda Mendez, and Newark Superintendent Roger León as recipients of the claim. The claim also says Davis and Lumumba complained about the harassment to Kukeja, Ruiz, and Abdelwahab during the school year.

The filings could lead to a lawsuit, Balk said. Under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, Davis and Lumumba can file a lawsuit six months after filing their claim.

“The claim was filed because both Ms. Lumumba and Ms. Davis were afforded no recognition of their legitimate complaints by the school administration or the board of education,” wrote Balk in an email to Chalkbeat Newark.

The Newark Board of Education received the claims in June but two members of the board’s legal committee, where district leaders discussed the allegations, recused themselves from the conversation, according to the committee’s June report.

The district does not comment on legal matters, Nancy Deering, Newark Public Schools’ acting communications director, said in an email to Chalkbeat Newark. Balk said he has not received a response from the district regarding the claims.

“All along my clients’ concern was for the education system to make sure that students and teachers were treated with respect and consideration regardless of their ethnic background,” Balk added.

The claims are the first legal actions against the district after students, teachers, and parents appeared at a school board meeting last November and described a pattern of racist harassment at Global Studies.

The students said they endured months of microaggressions and racial slurs from their peers and felt administrators did not issue stronger consequences with at least one parent calling for the removal of Ruiz, who has stayed in his role. Several students, including the Black Student Union president and the daughter of school board president Dawn Haynes, requested transfers mid-year.

Davis, the school’s former Black Student Union advisor, and Lumumba joined the students during the November meeting and spoke publicly about their experiences after their resignations in February and March respectively.

The allegations also come after a review of the racial, cultural, and religious dynamics at Global Studies was completed this spring. The review, conducted by consulting firm CREED Strategies led by Dr. Lauren Wells, began in January and is the first mention of the district’s long-awaited plan to mend problems at the high school after the incidents surfaced last fall.

But during a June press conference, León said details about the review will not be made public. During the June school board meeting, board members also said they have not reviewed the draft report from CREED Strategies.

Balk, Davis, and Lumumba requested a copy of the review from Wells but so far have not received a response, according to emails shared with Chalkbeat Newark.

In July, Newark Public Schools completed its own investigation of the incidents after Davis and Lumumba filed complaints with the district’s affirmative action office alleging Ruiz, Abdelwahab, and Kukreja created a hostile work environment at the high school based on race.

According to a July 5 letter from Mendez, the district’s affirmative action officer, to Davis and Lumumba, the district did not find “sufficient evidence to support a finding of harassment, discrimination, hostile work environment, or retaliatory conduct in violation of district, state, or federal laws.”

Davis has said she resigned from her role in February after her therapist advised her to leave to protect her mental health. Lumumba resigned in March after six months of working at the school.

Global Studies first opened its doors in 2020, welcoming 114 ninth graders to the high school where they study diplomacy, learn Arabic, and take courses in economics while gaining fluency in Chinese culture and language.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

KIPP SPARK, Justice Academy students among first in Newark to head back to school

2023-08-17T17:26:06+00:00

The night before his first day of school at KIPP SPARK Academy, 9-year-old Francisco laid out his uniform, packed his “big boy” backpack, and decorated it with his favorite keychain — all on his own.

His mom, Loto Chung, felt a mix of emotions as she watched her fourth grader prepare for his last year as an elementary student.

As she dropped him off in front of the Newark charter school’s entrance, she hugged him tight, wished him a good first day, and took a picture of him with his solid green Reebok backpack.

“He didn’t want cartoon characters or superheroes on his backpack this year. He’s a big boy now,” said Chung in Spanish, as she stood outside KIPP SPARK with a group of moms reminiscing about their own first days of school.

The fourth grader is among Newark’s first students to head back to school this year, more than two weeks before the city’s roughly 38,000 public school students, who start classes on Sept. 5. He joins nearly 800 kindergarten through fourth grade students at KIPP SPARK, up from 500 students last year. Another 200 fifth through seventh grade students at KIPP Justice Academy will also be in the same building.

On Thursday morning, teachers greeted their students with hugs and high fives. Volunteers from other KIPP New Jersey schools welcomed KIPP SPARK and Justice students getting off yellow school buses. Police officers guided traffic as children wearing yellow and blue polo shirts pointed at balloons on the corner of Second and Sussex Avenue.

Morgan Thomas, assistant principal at KIPP SPARK Academy, hugs Foshea, one of her students.

The elementary and middle schools moved to their North Ward location this year after being on Halsey Street in downtown. Previously, the new building was home to KIPP Truth, which is now part of KIPP SPARK.

With more than 300 new families and over 100 staff members, KIPP SPARK principal Tamika Killins said there “is a lot of people to manage and lots of students to be responsible for” but the most important thing for her this school year is making sure her students and families “feel planted here.”

Earlier this month, she welcomed new families, students, and staff members to a back-to-school night where she was able to “start developing relationships with parents,” an ongoing goal for Killins as school leader.

“I have such a strong leadership team and if any school can pull this off, it’s definitely us,” Killins added.

Hundreds of KIPP SPARK and Justice Academy students made their way to school on Aug. 17, 2023, marking the first day of their 2023-24 school year.

The new brick school building comes with more outdoor space and this year, the elementary school plans to build a school garden with the help of the Greater Newark Conservancy, Killins said. Students will also have a chance to delve into space and engineering in a new after-school STEM club led by a first grade teacher.

At the middle school, the staff is incorporating more social emotional learning activities, including 30-minute sessions twice a week to focus on peer mediation and leadership opportunities for seventh graders to lead mediation sessions.

And across KIPP New Jersey schools, the work to boost academic performance after the pandemic set students in Newark and across the country behind will continue this school year with partnerships to provide high-dosage tutoring in math and reading.

Like Chung, Miram Mieles felt nervous about her fourth grader, Santiago, navigating a new school building and making friends. Santiago’s first language is Spanish and he is learning English after his family immigrated from Ecuador earlier this year.

As a result of their move, Santiago attended Newark schools for the first time at the end of last year, Mieles said. He has received help from teachers to develop his language skills and Mieles is hopeful her son will learn English in the coming months.

“He woke up on his own today and he was excited to see his new friends,” Mieles added.

For Ashley Brooks, the nerves set in after she dropped off her second and fifth grade students, Ava and Aubrey. Her oldest daughter has an Individualized Education Program and Brooks wants to make sure she continues getting the support she needs. Brooks’ children are entering their second year at KIPP Spark and Justice and are former North Star students.

“So far, I have no complaints, but I’m always talking to her and asking her questions about her class and teachers,” Brooks said.

Younger students were also eager to wake up at 7:00 a.m. to get ready for school. Shaunice Ross’s third grade son, Dionte, walked to the front entrance of the school, grinning from ear to ear and eager to get inside. He nodded as his mom asked him if he was excited to see his friends and teachers.

Said Ross: “He’s so happy to be going back.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

El personal docente de Newark no siempre coincide con la diversidad de la población estudiantil

2023-08-16T10:30:00+00:00

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Cuando los padres de Melissa De Almeida emigraron a Newark en la década de 1990 desde Brasil, navegar el sistema de las escuelas públicas para sus dos hijas fue una de sus batallas más difíciles.

La hermana mayor de De Almeida luchó por aprender inglés en un sistema donde pocos maestros hablaban su portugués nativo. Cuando Melissa se inscribió unos años más tarde, se encontró con maestros que podían comunicarse con su familia, pero era desigual.

Sin embargo, había una luz de esperanza: la maestra de segundo grado de De Almeida en Oliver Street School. De Almeida recuerda con cariño que su maestra hacía malvaviscos y limonada fresca para su clase, pero la gran diferencia era que podía hablar con los padres de De Almeida en portugués.

Ahora, la estudiante de segundo año de 19 años de la Universidad Estatal de Montclair quiere ser maestra bilingüe y ayudar a familias como la suya en Newark, su ciudad natal, donde aproximadamente el 9% de los estudiantes hablan su idioma nativo.

“Necesito ser el cambio que necesitaba mi hermana”, dijo De Almeida, quien se graduó de East Side High School el año pasado.

En Newark y otras ciudades de Nueva Jersey, el personal docente y el liderazgo escolar no siempre reflejan la diversidad de la población estudiantil. Los datos demográficos muestran que los estudiantes afroamericanos y latinos representan alrededor del 90% de la población estudiantil total de Newark, mientras que los maestros de esos orígenes representan poco más de la mitad del personal docente.

Aproximadamente el 20% de las escuelas de Newark tienen una mayoría de maestros blancos. Otras ciudades de Nueva Jersey tienen proporciones aún más bajas de maestros de diversos orígenes raciales y étnicos.

Una mirada cercana revela que los estudiantes latinos, que aumentan en número anualmente en el distrito, están claramente subrepresentados en el personal docente del distrito, según un análisis de Chalkbeat de los datos demográficos escolares proporcionados por el estado de 2021-22.

Los maestros blancos constituyen la mayoría del personal docente en una de cada cinco escuelas del distrito, y los maestros negros son la mayoría del personal docente en poco más de una de cada cuatro escuelas. Pero ninguna escuela en el distrito tiene un personal docente mayoritariamente hispano o latino, a pesar de que aproximadamente la mitad de todas las escuelas del distrito tienen una mayoría de estudiantes latinos.

Una de las escuelas secundarias del distrito tiene una población estudiantil latina de más del 61%, pero no tiene maestros hispanos ni latinos. Otras tres escuelas tampoco tienen maestros que se identifiquen como hispanos o latinos.

De manera similar, la población de niños latinos del estado se ha expandido, aproximadamente un 25%, desde 2010, pero un análisis de NJ Advance Media encontró que aproximadamente el 30% de todas las escuelas no tienen ningún maestro hispano. Además, los distritos han visto una creciente población de estudiantes identificados como aprendices del idioma inglés al mismo tiempo que enfrentan una escasez de maestros bilingües.

Muchos expertos dicen que los fallos de los tribunales relacionados con la desagregación, que una y otra vez no lograron integrar por completo a los cuerpos estudiantiles y al personal, han contribuido a la cantidad desproporcionada de maestros blancos.

Sin embargo, numerosos estudios muestran que un personal docente diverso, especialmente uno que represente a la comunidad escolar, puede fomentar lazos más fuertes entre maestros y estudiantes, relaciones más sólidas entre maestros y familias, y lecciones que responden mejor a la cultura: los beneficios que De Almeida experimentó de primera mano con su maestra de segundo grado.

Los datos demográficos de las Escuelas Públicas de Newark también muestran un rayo de esperanza cuando se trata de acercarse a una fuerza laboral docente que refleje su cuerpo estudiantil: un puñado de escuelas primarias con mayoría de estudiantes latinos tienen una cantidad notable de maestros latinos, que oscila entre el 33% y 44%. Y es más probable que los estudiantes negros tengan una representación proporcional en la administración y el personal docente, según muestran los datos.

Tener maestros con los que los estudiantes de entornos subrepresentados puedan identificarse racial y culturalmente es solo un componente de la calidad de los maestros y la escuela, pero puede ayudar a mejorar la asistencia, los puntajes de las pruebas y la probabilidad de tomar un curso avanzado, según la investigación.

“Si no abordamos de manera más agresiva la falta de coincidencia demostrada entre los estudiantes y el personal escolar que los atiende, es posible que no veamos una aceleración del rendimiento académico de todos nuestros estudiantes”, afirma Leslie Fenwick, decana emérita de la Universidad de Howard, cuya experiencia es sobre la diversidad docente y la equidad educativa. “Debemos hacer un mejor trabajo de reclutamiento, retención y promoción de maestros y directores de color”.

‘Estamos viviendo con las consecuencias de la historia’

Como ilustra la historia de De Almeida con su hermana, muchos estudiantes no tienen maestros que compartan sus antecedentes, y se espera que la brecha entre los estudiantes y maestros hispanos o latinos se amplíe, a nivel estatal y nacional, según sugieren los estudios.

A nivel nacional, los maestros blancos constituyen el 80 % de la fuerza docente, y en Nueva Jersey es el 83%. Mientras tanto, la fuerza docente del estado, que también refleja las tendencias nacionales, es 8% hispana y 6.5% negra, mientras que la población estudiantil es 32% y 15%, respectivamente

Una demanda ante el Tribunal Superior de Nueva Jersey en Trenton argumenta que el estado, con uno de los sistemas escolares públicos más diversos pero segregados del país, es responsable de abordar el hecho de que más de la mitad de los estudiantes negros e hispanos o latinos asisten a escuelas que son predominantemente no blancos. La demanda, encabezada por The Latino Action Network y NAACP-NJ, argumenta que el estado está violando su propia constitución y la decisión de la Corte Suprema de Brown contra la Junta de Educación de Topeka de hace casi 70 años.

Ese fallo histórico de la Corte Suprema, y varios fallos de eliminación de la segregación que siguieron, declararon que la educación segregada era una violación de la Decimocuarta Enmienda. Pero también condujo a una proporción desigual de maestros blancos a maestros de color como personas, incluidos aquellos en el poder que defendían creencias segregacionistas, se resistieron a los esfuerzos de desegregación, según muestran los análisis de documentos históricos.

“Estamos viviendo con las consecuencias de la historia que ocurrió, no como resultado de Brown [v. Board of Education], sino de la enorme resistencia blanca a ella”, dijo Fenwick, autor del libro “Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership”.

El racismo y las creencias segregacionistas llevaron a despidos, despidos y degradaciones ilegales generalizados de maestros negros, más de 100,000, entre las décadas de 1950 y 1970, dijo Fenwick en una entrevista telefónica reciente con Chalkbeat y descrita en su libro.

Los esfuerzos de eliminación de la segregación también deben invertir en la diversidad de docentes, dice Fenwick. Sin eso, los estudiantes de color seguirán perdiendo las oportunidades masivas que puede ofrecer un personal docente que los refleje, incluso a nivel socioemocional, así como académico y conductual, lo cual ha sido documentado por décadas de investigación.

“A menos que abordemos este problema de diversidad en el liderazgo escolar y las fuerzas docentes, me temo que no lograremos el tipo de progreso que necesitamos en el país”, dijo Fenwick.

Newark trabaja para crear una cartera de maestros diversa

Aunque los maestros afroamericanos constituyen la mayoría del personal docente en algunas escuelas del distrito de Newark, la proporción de maestros afroamericanos ha disminuido alrededor de 10 puntos porcentuales desde fines de la década de 1990, cuando el distrito estaba bajo control estatal, según un análisis de 2021 de New Jersey Policy Perspective.

El distrito realiza esfuerzos de reclutamiento para atraer maestros de diversos orígenes, incluido uno que crea una fuente de “maestros locales” al incentivar a los estudiantes actuales a especializarse en educación y obtener un puesto docente garantizado en el distrito después de graduarse de la universidad.

Durante una conferencia de prensa en junio, el superintendente Roger León estuvo de acuerdo en que diversificar su personal “es bueno porque genera diferentes puntos de vista” y señaló las estrategias de contratación del distrito, que incluyen una iniciativa de canalización de maestro a director que se enfoca en maestros afroamericanos y latinos.

El distrito se asoció con la Facultad de Educación y Aprendizaje Comprometido de la Universidad Estatal de Montclair para crear la Academia de Maestros Red Hawks Rising, un programa de inscripción doble en las escuelas secundarias East Side y University donde los estudiantes obtienen créditos universitarios sin costo mientras se preparan para una carrera en la enseñanza. El programa recluta estudiantes para la profesión a una edad temprana, brinda tutoría y garantiza una oferta de admisión al programa de formación docente de la universidad después de la graduación de la escuela secundaria.

Una parte esencial del programa es que anima a los estudiantes a volver a enseñar en el distrito de su ciudad natal después de graduarse de la universidad.

León ha prometido a los participantes que un contrato de maestro con el distrito los estará esperando después de que completen el programa de la universidad.

De Almeida, una graduada del programa en East Side, dice que ser parte de él la ayudó a imaginarse un futuro ayudando a los estudiantes que hablan diferentes idiomas nativos. Pero lo que la ayudó a ver que podía tener éxito, dijo, fue el ejemplo establecido por las codirectoras del programa Mayida Zaal y Danielle Epps, mujeres de color que se graduaron de distritos escolares urbanos.

“Creo que es un poco refrescante tener a alguien hablando contigo que entiende y que ha pasado por lo que has pasado y ha recorrido ese camino contigo”, dijo De Almeida.

‘Retener a los maestros es el problema’

En una entrevista telefónica reciente, el presidente del Sindicato de Maestros de Newark, John Abeigon, dijo que apoya los esfuerzos de reclutamiento del distrito, pero que “retener a los maestros es el problema” que León debe abordar, particularmente cuando se trata de maestros de color.

“Tenemos blancos, negros, hispanos, marrones, el arcoíris”, dijo Abeigon sobre la diversidad de maestros en su sindicato. “Todos los que vienen a este distrito, la mayoría de ellos se van dentro de un par de semanas o meses de trabajar en este distrito. Eso es endémico del distrito y la forma en que trata a su personal”.

Las investigaciones ha encontrado que es más probable que los maestros de color enseñen en “escuelas con necesidades altas, difíciles de dotar de personal, con entornos de trabajo desafiantes y tasas de deserción más altas para todos los maestros”, indicó un informe de FutureEd sobre la diversidad de maestros.

Sin embargo, a medida que los maestros de diversos orígenes navegan por distritos con bajos recursos y condiciones de trabajo desfavorables, a menudo se sienten subestimados y pasados por alto, según los comentarios de los grupos focales en un informe de 2019 que examinó la retención de maestros de color.

Nubia Lumumba, una educadora negra y musulmana y ex maestra de inglés en una escuela secundaria de Newark, renunció a su cargo después de solo seis meses de trabajar en el distrito. Lumumba dijo que experimentó y fue testigo del acoso racial mientras enseñaba, pero la falta de sensibilidad de los administradores de la escuela para manejar las preocupaciones sobre el acoso racial provocó tensiones que finalmente la llevaron a renunciar.

Hubo una falta de “empatía genuina por lo que había pasado”, dijo Lumumba, y agregó que los estudiantes fueron testigos de lo que ella experimentó. “Si, como adulto maduro, me dolió profundamente haber experimentado acoso racial y religioso y no obtener ningún apoyo significativo de los líderes escolares y del distrito, entonces, me imagino, debe ser aún más perjudicial para los estudiantes negros”.

Lumumba, quien enseñó durante ocho años antes de su último cargo, dijo que las escuelas deben contar con estrategias y programas que brinden “una verdadera comprensión y celebración de la diversidad” y apoyen a los estudiantes de diferentes orígenes raciales y étnicos. Esto podría conducir a una mejor retención, dijo.

Los maestros de color en el estudio de caso de 2019 estarían de acuerdo. Entre las soluciones descritas en el informe: los líderes del distrito deben asegurarse de que “las escuelas sean lugares que afirmen culturalmente a los maestros de color”, empoderar a los maestros con caminos hacia el liderazgo y ofrecer compensación por el trabajo adicional.

Un grupo de trabajo de Nueva Jersey sobre la escasez de personal escolar, elaborado por orden ejecutiva del gobernador Phil Murphy el año pasado, publicó un informe a principios de este año que muestra signos de que el estado está prestando atención a la retención de maestros.

Proveer apoyo a las escuelas en “implementar políticas y prácticas que creen un ambiente de trabajo libre de prejuicios, incluidas las microagresiones”, así como aumentar el salario de los maestros y expandir la “tutoría y el desarrollo profesional para educadores de carreras tempranas” fueron algunas de las recomendaciones enumeradas en el informe.

Los estudiantes necesitan apoyo a través de la educación superior

Para los codirectores de Red Hawks Rising, Zaal y Epps, sus esfuerzos con el distrito para diversificar la fuerza docente comienzan apoyando a los estudiantes de Newark y convirtiéndose en su “comunidad de compromiso” mientras navegan por la escuela secundaria, la universidad y carreras a largo plazo, dijo Epps.

No podemos centrarnos simplemente en el reclutamiento de jóvenes que representan a las comunidades negras y latinas, y luego no ser intencionales sobre cómo vamos a apoyarlos para que lleguen a la meta”, dijo Zaal. “Tiene que haber apoyo en el camino para que no tengamos una especie de tubería con fugas hacia las escuelas”.

Según el Centro Nacional de Estadísticas de Educación, la tasa general de inscripción universitaria entre los jóvenes de 18 a 24 años disminuyó del 41 % en 2010 al 38 % en 2021. La tasa general de inscripción universitaria ese año fue aún más baja entre los estudiantes negros de 37 años. % y estudiantes hispanos en 33%.

Mientras están en el programa de inscripción dual, los estudiantes se enfrentan a diferentes conceptos erróneos sobre la educación superior, como la idea de que para seguir una carrera tienen que dejar su ciudad natal o que la universidad está financieramente fuera de su alcance, o la creencia de que “la universidad no es algo para ellos”, dijo Epps.

Muchos estudiantes del programa son bilingües o biculturales y tienen experiencia en el manejo de desafíos educativos que, a su vez, podrían ayudar a sus futuros estudiantes.

“Se criaron en familias resilientes donde pudieron encontrar su camino a la universidad como estudiantes de primera generación”, dijo Zaal. “Entonces, tienen una cantidad significativa de capital social para ofrecer”.

De Almeida, quien se graduará en 2026, retribuye a su comunidad trabajando con los padres en su iglesia local y ayudándolos a comprender la tarea de sus hijos o brindándoles apoyo de traducción. Ella se relaciona con esas familias, dice, y les habla sobre ayudar financieramente a su propia familia mientras hace malabarismos con el trabajo escolar y persigue su sueño de enseñar.

La aspirante a maestra bilingüe está ansiosa por ingresar al aula y espera dejar una marca duradera en los estudiantes con antecedentes similares a los suyos.

“Por lo general, soy a quien todos acuden con este tipo de cosas. Me encanta poder ser esa ayuda”, dijo De Almeida sobre trabajar con padres de diferentes orígenes. “Y creo que una vez que sea maestra y regrese a trabajar en Newark, haciendo este trabajo oficialmente, seré 10 veces mejor”.

Esta traducción fue proporcionada por Reporte Hispano, en asociación con el Centro de Medios Cooperativos de la Universidad Estatal de Montclair, y cuenta con el apoyo financiero del Consorcio de Información Cívica de NJ. La historia fue escrita originalmente en inglés por Chalkbeat Newark/NJ Spotlight News y se vuelve a publicar en virtud de un acuerdo especial para compartir contenido a través del Servicio de noticias de traducción al español de NJ News Commons.

This translation was provided by Reporte Hispano, in association with the Montclair State University Center for Cooperative Media and is financially supported by the NJ Civic Information Consortium. The story was originally written in English for Chalkbeat Newark and is republished under a special content-sharing agreement through the NJ News Commons Spanish Translation News Service.

Newark pushes pre-K participation following enrollment increase last year

2023-08-10T10:00:00+00:00

The first day of school is four weeks away, but Newark’s youngest citizens were eager to get to a South Ward school Tuesday to jump in a bounce house and get free ice cream.

The carnival atmosphere at the second annual “Road Trip to Pre-K” at Belmont Runyon Elementary is part of Newark Public Schools’ ongoing effort to increase preschool enrollment and connect parents with city resources. Preschool is not mandatory in New Jersey, but Newark children are eligible to participate for free in the district’s program.

Early childhood education programs are important because “they create a foundation for children’s future success” and build skills in reading and math, said Yolonda Severe, executive director of the district’s office of early childhood education.

The district’s early childhood work begins with its “conception to cradle program,” known as the Conception to Grade 3 Consortium, to ensure Newark children are meeting development milestones and childhood needs, according to the district’s 10-year-strategic plan.

Newark Public Schools children and families attend the second annual “Road Trip to Pre-K” event.

In Newark schools, preschool programs are offered to three- and four-year-old children, known as pre-K3 and pre-K4, and include classrooms with no more than 15 students, a curriculum, and certified staff, Severe added. Families can choose among three free six-hour preschool options available through the district: Head Start, a federally-funded program for low-income families; other options within city schools, and programs run by community providers and privately managed at various locations throughout Newark.

The district also offers free after-school child care at its 14 elementary schools that offer the Head Start preschool program.

This school year, roughly 6,900 students are enrolled in preschool across 40 elementary schools within the district – an increase from last year’s 6,600 students, Severe said. She added that there are “enough places in the city for all of our students.” Severe credits the enrollment increase to her team’s efforts in sharing information about the program with parents in the community, recruiting families, and the district’s marketing strategies.

The district team’s work starts by contracting with hospitals, clinics, and social service agencies to calculate the number of babies born in a specific year, according to the district’s Conception to Grade 3 Consortium. The district uses that information to gauge how many students should be enrolled in pre-K3 or pre-K4 programs for any given school year and ensure parents are aware of their preschool programs, Severe said. But before a baby is enrolled in school, district social workers work with parents to connect them with city resources such as diapers, clothes, or other support they may need.

“You’ll be surprised at the amount of parents that don’t know what resources are here within the city,” Severe said.

The district’s program is being refined, Severe said, with the goal of “building capacity within our city.” Existing pre-K locations are being expanded to offer more seats for students and “keep families in Newark,” Severe added.

Additionally, social workers visit and vet different infant and toddler programs offered throughout the city that are then recommended to parents looking for different options. Parents also can choose to enroll their child in a school or program closest to their home or work, providing a flexible option for families tailored to their needs.

Leti Carbajal attended Tuesday’s event along with her three-year-old daughter, who’s currently enrolled at Luiz Muñoz Marín for the school year. Before Tuesday, Carbajal didn’t know about the different school locations available across the city but was happy to learn more about her options and community resources.

“I really enjoyed being able to talk to the teachers and staff representatives here,” said Carbajal in Spanish.

Preschool teachers prepare students for kindergarten; this year, the district is launching its literacy initiative as part of the city’s larger plan to get Newark students reading and writing. During Tuesday’s event, the district gave away free books in different languages.

“We’re working to ensure that those kids that are transitioning from pre-K4, actually understand the curriculum going into a full-day program,” Severe said.

New Jersey started offering free pre-K in 1998 under a Supreme Court ruling specific to the Schools Development Authority districts, formerly known as Abbott districts, considered the poorest in the state.

Expanding pre-K opportunities has been a priority for Gov. Phil Murphy since taking office in 2018. Since then, the program has expanded to over 160 school districts, opening seats for more than 12,000 additional children in the state, according to Murphy’s administration. Last year, the governor allocated $120 million in grants for preschool expansion at 16 school districts.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

‘I felt like I was lost’: NJ students say school segregation impacted their education

2023-08-07T10:00:00+00:00

As a Black high school student in Newark, Michelle Ametekpor remembers feeling as if her culture wasn’t being celebrated.

Jennifer Garcia, a Latina who attended a majority-white school in Middlesex, didn’t see teachers who reflected her cultural background.

And Jeremiah LaPorte, a senior at an Elizabeth high school, says he wishes he would see more diversity among students in school leadership positions.

The three students shared their experiences of going to public schools in the state at a virtual town hall on Friday. They remember “feeling lost” and “having to fight” to make their voices heard.

The New Jersey Coalition of Educational Equity organized the discussion in anticipation of a much-awaited ruling on a school segregation lawsuit that could have historic consequences for the state’s public schools. The lawsuit, filed in 2018, says the state is responsible for addressing the fact that more than half of Black and Hispanic or Latino students attend schools that are predominantly non-white.

“Our goals are to create a more safe and inclusive and supportive environment where all students can thrive and properly prepare for their future,” Val Posso, a youth organizer for the Latino Action Network Foundation, one of the organizations leading the lawsuit, said during the town hall.

New Jersey, one of the most diverse public school systems in the country, is also the sixth most segregated state for Black students and seventh for Latino students, according to a 2017 UCLA Civil Rights Project study that’s cited in the lawsuit.

Additionally, a recent Chalkbeat Newark analysis of the city’s school demographic data found that Latino students, who are increasing in number annually in Newark Public Schools, are starkly underrepresented in the district’s teaching staff.

“New Jersey can no longer be the state for some, it must be the state that provides education for everyone,” said Tom Puryear, education chairperson for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in New Jersey, one of the organizations also leading the lawsuit.

Students feel frustrated with public school districts

At the town hall on Friday, Ametekpor, a recent graduate of Essex County’s Donald M. Payne School of Technology, said she “felt frustrated” in high school because she had to turn to community-based organizations to help her get to college after seeing her guidance counselors “overworked” during college application season.

Her school, located in Newark’s West Ward, was mainly made up of Hispanic students and she felt as if there were more events targeted at celebrating Hispanic and Latino culture, Ametekpor said.

“I just wished there was more institutional support, especially for the African American students at my school, to help them be celebrated and have their heritage on display,” she added.

Even when she brought issues to administrators or the county school board, she remembers feeling “like I wasn’t heard” and recalls administrators “dragging their feet” to solve the problems. She learned to become an advocate for herself due to her persistence in raising issues affecting Black students, Ametekpor added.

Garcia, a sophomore at Seton Hall University and a Colonia High School graduate, had a similar experience as a first-generation Latina college student. Garcia said she went to a majority-white school in Middlesex and remembers feeling intimidated by her peers.

She felt as if they had an upper hand because of family members or siblings who had already gone to college and knew the system. She also felt as if there weren’t enough Hispanic or Latina teachers who could relate to her experience.

“I felt like I was lost,” Garcia said. “But I know that my other peers had an upper hand against me, and I feel like it just misled me going into college.”

The last time she felt comfortable at school was in elementary school when she was part of a more diverse student body that included Hispanic, Black, and South Asian students that she also learned from, Garcia added.

Laporte, a senior at JVJ STEM Academy in Elizabeth, doesn’t see as many Black and Latino students being involved in after-school clubs. He’s currently the president of the school’s honor society, a club with a majority of white students, said Laporte, who struggles to integrate more diverse cultural representation into his club.

“It’s not just the school itself, it’s the breakdown, it’s the leadership, it’s the way we allocate our resources,” Laporte said.

Local leaders discuss potential solutions

Peter Rosario is the president and CEO of La Casa de Don Pedro in Newark, an organization aimed at empowering people of color in local communities. Rosario says changing school districts into countywide school districts could be one way to integrate students into school and create more funding opportunities for student resources.

“Basing educational funding on your local taxes keeps us segregated as a state and as a people,” Rosario added.

For Leah Owens, former educator and founder of Just Writing, which provides educational and small business consulting, the key to creating more cultural school environments is to “create a system of care” throughout public schools.

She feels schools focus on outcomes and test scores but don’t invest in “the whole person” and issues that affect students’ social and emotional learning. By teaching in a culturally responsive way, students will feel more engaged and connected to their peers, Owens said.

“We have assets in communities of color that do not get reflected in the school buildings themselves,” Owens added. “And if we were to take the cultural practices and utilize them, we would see more positive both academic and social outcomes for our children.”

Puryear of the NAACP-NJ added that “it’s up to the community and the youth” to demand more resources and ultimately, change in their schools. He believes the current segregation lawsuit before the state “is the key factor” in desegregating schools and having a more equitable school system.

The lawsuit, Latino Action Network, et al. v. State of New Jersey, was last argued before Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy in March of 2022. The parents and guardians of nine Latino and Black children and one white child from Highland Park are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The Statewide Coalition of Educational Equity is made up of the NAACP, Latino Action Network, Urban League of Essex County, People’s Organization for Progress, and other voices throughout New Jersey.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s state test scores dropped last spring. What’s helping students get back on track?

2023-08-03T11:30:08+00:00

In Newark’s North Ward, students in Ms. Murphy’s second grade class at Park Elementary School sat quietly on a colorful rug at the front of the classroom in mid-July, listening to their teacher read a book.

The summer school class was practicing reading comprehension skills by answering questions about the story and summarizing the main ideas.

“Look at the sun, the rain,” said Kathleen Murphy as she showed students the drawings in the book. “Where is our setting?”

Two students quickly raised their hands.

“Outside by a tree!” one student.

“What kind of tree?” Murphy asked the class.

“Oak!” several students shout out, eager to answer.

Murphy’s class is part of Newark Public Schools’ five-week summer school program, one of many efforts across city schools to help students get back on grade level after spring 2022 state test scores showed dismal drops in English language arts and math.

As Newark students get ready to return to class in five weeks, officials are hoping that such initiatives aimed at helping those who have fallen behind will pay off.

Some of those interventions began last spring with high-dosage tutoring during the day at KIPP New Jersey schools. Others – such as Murphy’s class – took place during summer school programs.

About 10,000 public school students were required to attend summer school this year – double the number from last year – with more scattered throughout city charter schools.

In Newark Public Schools, students are required to attend summer school based on attendance, grades, and state test scores. Those who did not attend within the first three days were at risk of losing their seats and high schoolers enrolled in the summer accelerated program needed to attend every day to keep their spots, according to the district.

“The effort to close the achievement gap and accelerate learning is a collective effort,” said Newark Public Schools Assistant Superintendent José Fuentes. “And hopefully we’ll see robust gains from this summer.”

New Jersey students took the state’s standardized test last spring – the first time since 2019 – providing a glimpse into students’ slow recovery after COVID-19 disruptions. The scores pointed to the severity of the pandemic’s toll on student learning and the efforts Newark leaders must take to recover from it.

In spring 2022, only 49% of New Jersey students passed the state’s English language arts test, 27% of Newark public school students, and 47% of the city’s charter school students reached proficiency levels in the same subject.

Newark’s younger students suffered the biggest declines from pre-pandemic levels, with only 19% of Newark Public School third graders and 40% of the city’s charter school third graders reaching proficiency levels on the state’s English language arts test. Third grade is widely viewed as a critical age for reading and a measure of a student’s future academic success. The scores also showed that Newark’s struggles with achieving math proficiency have only grown since the pandemic.

In July, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka declared an “urgent” literacy crisis throughout the city and launched a 10-point Youth Literacy Action plan that calls on local schools, parents, community partners, and programs to get young children reading and writing.

Rising second grade students work on math problems in Kelly Stern’s class on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at Achieve Community Charter School in Newark, New Jersey.

The sobering test scores are part of the crisis that led city educators to develop strategies to refine students’ skills in reading, writing, and math this summer. In the classroom, teachers are working with students who need help practicing handwriting and strengthening reading comprehension skills, while others implement group work that challenges students to discuss different ways to solve math problems.

For public school leaders, home to roughly 38,000 students, federal COVID relief dollars have been the district’s “saving grace” in expanding summer programs to 14 schools this year, said Superintendent Roger León during a press conference in June.

Part of the district’s strategy is ensuring those dollars “last a long time” so they continue to offer tutoring and other recovery support during the school year, León added.

‘Learning happens when students are having fun’

Park Elementary’s summer school principal, Ladylaura Bueno, is responsible for making sure her 127 students required to attend summer classes are there.

The program “moves very quickly,” Bueno said, and missing one week of summer school “is like missing one marking period.”

The goal is for the summer school experience to mirror that of the academic year, Fuentes added. On day one, students are tested in either reading or math and then tested again at the end “to see the efficacy of the program,” Bueno said. Instruction is tailored to each student’s need, making participation a key component of the program.

School leaders like Bueno, normally a vice principal at Salomé Ureña Elementary school, say summer school planning takes months, and ensuring that parents understand the importance of it is part of the work to help students succeed.

“We’re working to engage parents and make sure they understand that their kids aren’t done just because it’s summer,” Fuentes said. “If you miss school, we make calls.”

Developed by Newark Board of Education curriculum experts, the district’s Summer Plus program combines academic and enrichment activities into a full-day summer program for students who will be entering grades one through eight. In the morning, students work on improving math and literacy skills, and in the afternoon, students are free to join extracurricular activities led by partnering organizations in Newark.

“The teacher is the facilitator here and that places the onus on students to solve the problem and find different ways to reach a solution,” Fuentes said.

In one fifth grade class at Park, for example, 12 students who need extra support in math focus on collaborative work and finding ways to solve problems on their own. Then they discuss different solutions with their peers. Students are also pulled from class at different times of the day and placed in smaller groups with teachers who provide more targeted support in reading and math.

During the regular academic year, León said they plan to implement a similar structure and provide tutoring for students throughout the school day – a requirement under Baraka’s 10-Point Action Plan.

Ultimately, “learning happens when students are having fun and are engaging in hands-on activity,” Fuentes said.

Newark charter looks for ways to refine student learning

Overall, Newark’s trends showed that students performed lower in math state tests than in English language arts. That’s one reason Achieve Community Charter School is focusing on improving student performance in math as part of its summer program.

Achieve students entering grades one through seven are tested during the first week of school to assess their needs, said Tina Leake, Achieve’s summer school site director. Based on that data, students are placed in tutoring groups that target specific skills in math and literacy.

Rising fifth grade students work in small groups with an “All Star” tutor in Vanessa Simon’s class on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at Achieve Community Charter School in Newark, New Jersey.

Summer tutoring can include group instruction or one-on-one learning during the school day, in addition to instruction in the classroom in the morning, said summer school principal Patrice Norwood. School leaders and teachers then evaluate their tutoring strategy on a daily basis as students move through the program.

“They’re not going to stay in the same group for the whole program, or the whole week or even daily,” Norwood added. “It might change based on what we’re seeing.”

Keeping Achieve’s 184 summer school students engaged is also part of the work to support student learning, Norwood said.

Through a partnership with After School All Stars, a nonprofit organization working with low-income youth, students are spread throughout 10 classrooms with one instructor and an “All Star” tutor who helps out during the small group hour built into the day. In their classrooms, students rotate among three different groups: instruction with a teacher, iReady lessons in math or reading on their Chromebooks, and group work specific to students’ needs.

Students may also need extra support in skills not usually worked on during the school day such as handwriting or adding and subtracting. Small groups and tutoring are a way to build those skills, Norwood said.

School leaders also keep a close eye on students’ emotional and mental health and work with community partners to support children and their families. Recently, for example, one of Achieve’s students was dealing with the loss of a family member and school leaders offered to provide therapy and support services for the family.

“We’re here to help both students and their families,” Norwood said.

Their approach to supporting students and evaluating and reassessing their program is part of “the love students get,” she added.

KIPP schools maximize impact of tutoring

For KIPP New Jersey Schools, which serves students in Newark and Camden, the work to boost student performance began this spring with two new partnerships that helped provide high-dosage tutoring in math and reading. That goes along with recent research that shows intensive tutoring can be effective in helping students improve in problem areas.

Two of the charter school network’s elementary schools partnered with the New Jersey Tutoring Corps, a statewide nonprofit created to address academic recovery needs post pandemic, to provide in-person tutoring to 100 students. The preliminary data for elementary student outcomes is “promising” and reflects on the efforts of the corps to provide targeted tutoring, said Joe Hejlek, director of wraparound services at KIPP New Jersey.

Overall, the state’s Tutoring Corps served 500 students across New Jersey schools during the 2022-23 pilot. The percentage performing at grade level in math improved from 16% to 40%, and from 23% to 40% in literacy across all grade levels, the Tutoring Corps reported.

But Hejlek says the program’s success in KIPP New Jersey schools is in part linked to student attendance.

“There’s a very direct correlation between the number of sessions students participate in and the amount of growth that they make,” he said.

At the middle school level, three KIPP New Jersey schools partnered with Tutored by Teachers, an organization that provides personalized virtual tutoring for students. Nikeya Stuart is a school leader at TEAM Academy working with students from fifth through eighth grade. At TEAM, 20 students worked with Tutored by Teachers instructors this spring and received virtual tutoring in math twice a week during the school day.

Achieve Community Charter School student’s work on adding and subtracting during the school’s 2023 summer program.

Students were chosen to participate in the program if they were within 10 points of passing the state’s math test and had 95% daily attendance or higher during the academic year, Stuart said. The goal was to choose students who would commit to tutoring “so the program could really yield the results that we were hoping that it would,” Stuart added.

She found sixth and seventh graders were more engaged than students in fifth and eighth grade but noted the importance of finding “a program that works for each student.”

Not all students will benefit from online learning after the pandemic and “if a student did not like learning behind the computer, they may not be the ideal student” for virtual tutoring, Stuart said.

By learning about the impact the tutoring efforts had on students, the charter network is looking to scale up its tutoring program by expanding it to five more schools this year. But it remains unclear whether there will be funding to continue such high-dosage tutoring and other avenues for student academic recovery.

”It’s just a question of making sure we have enough tutors to meet demand,” Hejlek said, “and then making sure we’re being thoughtful about how we select the students and how we set our schools up to maximize the impact of the tutoring.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s teaching force doesn’t always match its diverse student body — especially among Latinos

2023-07-27T20:15:00+00:00

Read in Spanish.

When Melissa De Almeida’s parents immigrated to Newark in the 1990s from Brazil, navigating the public school system for their two daughters was among their steepest battles.

De Almeida’s older sister struggled to learn English in a system where few teachers spoke her native Portuguese. By the time Melissa enrolled a few years later, she encountered teachers who were able to communicate with her family, but it was uneven.

There was, though, one shining light: De Almeida’s second grade teacher at Oliver Street School. De Almeida fondly remembers her teacher making s’mores and fresh lemonade for her class, but the big difference was that she could speak with De Almeida’s parents in Portuguese.

Now, the 19-year-old sophomore at Montclair State University wants to be a bilingual teacher and help families like hers in Newark, her hometown, where roughly 9% of students speak her native language.

“I need to be the change that my sister needed,” said De Almeida, who graduated from East Side High School last year.

In Newark and other cities in New Jersey, teaching staff and school leadership do not always reflect diverse student bodies. Demographic data shows Black and Latino students make up about 90% of Newark’s total student population, while teachers from those backgrounds make up just over half of the teaching staff.

Roughly 20% of Newark schools have a majority of white teachers. Other cities in New Jersey have even lower proportions of teachers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

A close look reveals that Latino students, who are increasing in number annually in the district, are starkly underrepresented in the district’s teaching staff, a Chalkbeat analysis of 2021-22 state-provided school demographic data found.

White teachers make up a majority of the teaching staff at one in five district schools, and Black teachers are the majority teaching staff at a little more than one in four schools. But no school in the district has a majority Hispanic or Latino teaching staff — even though roughly half of all the district schools have a majority Latino student body.

One of the district’s high schools has a Latino student population of more than 61%, but no Hispanic or Latino teachers. Three other schools also don’t have any teachers who identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Similarly, the state’s population of Latino children has expanded — by roughly 25% — since 2010, but an analysis from NJ Advance Media found that roughly 30% of all schools don’t have any Hispanic teachers at all. In addition, districts have seen a growing student population identified as English language learners while also facing a shortage of bilingual teachers.

Many experts say that desegregation court rulings, which have failed time and again to wholly integrate student bodies and personnel, have contributed to the disproportionate numbers of white teachers.

Yet, numerous studies show that a diverse teaching staff, especially one representative of a school community, can foster stronger teacher-student bonds, stronger relationships between teachers and families, and lessons that are more culturally responsive — the benefits De Almeida experienced first-hand with her second grade teacher.

Newark Public Schools’ demographic data also displays a glimmer of hope when it comes to moving closer to a teaching workforce that reflects its student body: A handful of elementary schools with majority Latino students have a notable number of Latino teachers, ranging between 33% and 44%. And Black students are more likely to have proportionate representation in administration and teaching staff, data show.

Having teachers who students from underrepresented backgrounds can identify with racially and culturally is just one component of teacher and school quality, but it can help lead to improved attendance, test scores, and the likelihood of taking an advanced course, research has found.

“If we don’t more aggressively address the demonstrated mismatch between students and the school personnel who serve them, we may not see an acceleration of academic achievement by all of our students,” said Leslie Fenwick, dean emerita at Howard University whose expertise is on teacher diversity and education equity. “We must do a better job of recruiting, retaining, and promoting teachers and principals of color.”

‘We are living with the fallout of the history’

As De Almeida’s story with her sister illustrates, many students don’t have teachers who share their background – and the gap between Hispanic or Latino students and teachers is only expected to widen, statewide and nationally, studies suggest.

Nationally, white teachers make up 80% of the teaching force, and in New Jersey, it’s 83%. Meanwhile, the state’s teaching force — also mirroring national trends — is 8% Hispanic and 6.5% Black, while those student populations are 32% and 15%, respectively.

A lawsuit before New Jersey’s Superior Court in Trenton is arguing that the state — one of the most diverse yet segregated public school systems in the country — is responsible for addressing the fact that more than half of Black and Hispanic or Latino students attend schools that are predominantly non-white. The lawsuit, led by The Latino Action Network and NAACP-NJ, argues that the state is violating its own constitution and the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka from nearly 70 years ago.

That historic Supreme Court ruling — and several desegregation rulings that followed — declared segregated schooling to be a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. But it also led to an uneven proportion of white teachers to teachers of color as people, including those in power who upheld segregationist beliefs, resisted desegregation efforts, analyses of historic documents show.

“We are living with the fallout of the history that occurred — not as a result of the Brown [v. Board of Education] decision, but of the massive white resistance to it,” said Fenwick, who authored the book “Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership.”

Racism and segregationist beliefs led to widespread illegal firings, dismissals, and demotions of Black teachers — upwards of 100,000 — between the 1950s and 70s, Fenwick said in a recent phone interview with Chalkbeat and described in her book.

Desegregation efforts must also invest in teacher diversity, Fenwick says. Without that, students of color will continue to lose out on the massive opportunities a teaching staff that reflects them can offer, including on a social emotional level, as well as academically and behaviorally, which decades worth of research has documented.

“Unless we address this diversity issue in the school leadership and teaching forces, I fear we won’t make the kind of progress that we need to make in the country,” Fenwick said.

Newark works to create diverse teacher pipeline

Though Black teachers make up a majority of the teaching staff in some Newark district schools, the proportion of Black teachers has dropped about 10 percentage points since the late 1990s, when the district was under state control, a 2021 analysis from New Jersey Policy Perspective found.

The district has recruitment efforts in place to attract teachers from diverse backgrounds, including one that creates a pipeline of “home grown teachers” by incentivizing current students to major in education and get a guaranteed teaching position in the district after they graduate college.

During a June press conference, Superintendent Roger León agreed that diversifying his staff “is good in that it brings about different viewpoints” and noted the district’s recruitment strategies, which include a teacher-to-principal pipeline initiative that targets Black and Latino male teachers.

The district partnered with Montclair State University’s College for Education and Engaged Learning to create the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, a dual enrollment program at East Side and University high schools where students earn college credits at no cost as they prepare for a career in teaching. The program recruits students into the profession at an early age, provides mentorship, and guarantees an offer of admission to the university’s teacher education program after high school graduation.

An essential part of the program is that it encourages students to return to teach in their hometown district after college graduation.

León has promised participants that a teacher contract with the district will be waiting for them after they complete the university’s program.

Melissa De Almeida, a sophomore at Montclair State University and East Side High School graduate, says the “home grown” teacher program in Newark helped her pursue her dream of becoming a bilingual teacher.

De Almeida, a graduate of the program at East Side, says being part of it helped her envision a future helping students who speak different home languages. But what helped her see that she could be successful, she said, was the example set from program co-directors Mayida Zaal and Danielle Epps, women of color who are graduates of urban school districts.

“I think it’s kind of refreshing to have someone talk to you that understands and kind of has been through what you’ve been through and kind of walked that path with you,” De Almeida said.

‘Retaining teachers is the problem’

In a recent phone interview, Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said he supports the district’s recruiting efforts, but “retaining teachers is the problem” that León needs to address, particularly when it comes to teachers of color.

“We have white, Black, Hispanic, brown, the rainbow,” Abeigon said about the diversity of teachers in his union. “Everybody that comes to this district, a majority of them leave within a couple of weeks or months of working in this district. That’s endemic to the district and the way it treats its staff.”

Research has found that teachers of color are more likely to teach in “high needs, hard-to-staff schools with challenging work environments and higher attrition rates for all teachers,” a FutureEd report on teacher diversity stated.

As teachers from diverse backgrounds navigate districts with low resources and unfavorable working conditions, though, they often feel undervalued and overlooked, according to feedback from focus groups in a 2019 report that examined retention of teachers of color.

Nubia Lumumba, a Black and Muslim educator and former English teacher at a Newark high school, resigned from her position after just six months of working in the district. Lumumba said she experienced and witnessed racial harassment while teaching, but lack of sensitivity from school administrators in handling concerns of racial harassment led to tensions that ultimately led to her resignation.

There was a lack of “genuine empathy for what I had gone through,” Lumumba said, adding that students were witnesses to what she experienced. “If, as a mature adult, it cut me deeply to have experienced racial and religious harassment and not get any meaningful support from district and school leaders, then, I imagine, it must be even more damaging to the Black students.”

Lumumba, who taught for eight years prior to her last role, said schools need to have strategies and programs in place that will bring “a true understanding and celebration of diversity” and support students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. This could lead to improved retention, she said.

The teachers of color in the 2019 case study would agree. Among solutions outlined in the report: District leaders need to ensure that “schools are places that culturally affirm teachers of color,” empower teachers with pathways to leadership, and offer compensation for extra work.

A New Jersey task force on school staff shortages, put together by executive order from Gov. Phil Murphy last year, released a report earlier this year that shows signs the state is paying some attention to the retention of teachers.

Providing support to schools in “implementing policies and practices that create a work environment that is free of bias, including microaggressions,” as well as increasing teacher pay and expanding “mentorship and professional development for early career educators” were among the recommendations listed in the report.

Students need support through higher education

For Red Hawks Rising co-directors Zaal and Epps, their efforts with the district to diversify the teaching force start by supporting Newark students and becoming their “community of commitment” as they navigate high school, college, and long-term careers, Epps said.

Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy co-directors Mayida Zaal and Danielle Epps say the dual enrollment program aims to support Newark students from high school to their career in teaching.

“We can’t just focus on the recruitment of young people who represent Black and brown communities, and then not be intentional about how we’re going to support them to get to the finish line,” Zaal said. “There has to be support along the way so that we don’t have a sort of leaky pipeline into schools.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the overall college enrollment rate among 18- to 24-year-olds decreased from 41% in 2010 to 38% in 2021. The overall college enrollment rate that year was even lower among Black students at 37% and Hispanic students at 33%.

While in the dual enrollment program, students confront different misconceptions about higher education, such as the idea that to pursue a career they have to leave their hometown or that college is financially out of reach, or the belief that “college is not something that’s for me,” Epps said.

Many students in the program are bilingual or bicultural and have experience dealing with educational challenges that, in turn, could help their future students.

“They’ve been raised in resilient families where they have been able to figure out their way into college as first-generation students,” Zaal said. “So, they have a significant amount of social capital to offer.”

De Almeida, who’s set to graduate in 2026, gives back to her community by working with parents at her local church and helping them understand their children’s homework or providing translation support for them. She relates to those families, she says, and talks to them about helping her own family financially while juggling school work and pursuing her dream of teaching.

The aspiring bilingual teacher is eager to get into the classroom and hopes to leave a lasting mark on students with similar backgrounds as her.

“I’m usually the one that everybody runs to with this kind of stuff. I love being able to be that help,” said De Almeida about working with parents of different backgrounds. “And I think that once I’m a teacher and come back to work in Newark, doing this work officially, I’ll be 10 times better.”

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark announces new principals for elementary, high schools. Is your school’s leader changing?

2023-07-25T18:06:28+00:00

More than half of the 10 new principals for the upcoming school year in Newark Public Schools are women of color, and most of them have worked their way up through the ranks in the district’s schools.

Eight of the new principals are at elementary schools and two will work at high schools. Combined, the new principals bring decades of experience. Some are first-time principals, and others are veteran educators and administrators in the district.

Other leadership changes include four new vice principals at four elementary schools and three teacher coaches at three elementary schools.

Candidates for principal roles “undergo a lengthy process and are recommended by the Superintendent to the Newark Board of Education,” according to Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director.

They must complete an application for the position, and interview with multiple departments and staff members before a final interview with Superintendent Roger León, Deering added.

This year’s reorganization of leaders follows previous efforts to create teacher-to-leader pipelines and elevate people of color into principal and vice principal positions. Eight of the 10 principal promotions are for women of color, while two are for men, including a Black man.

After last school year’s ousting of two first-year principals and this year’s demotion of Avon Avenue Elementary School’s first-year principal to a teacher, Newark Public Schools’ ability to support new school leaders is under scrutiny.

The new leaders must also work to create inclusive spaces, as they work in a district where Latino and Black students make up more than 90% of the student body.

Last fall, parents at the Newark School of Global Studies called for the removal of principal Nelson Ruiz after students, staff, and parents grew frustrated with the way Ruiz responded to complaints of racial harassment from Black students and staff at the school. Ruiz remains in his role this year.

The district will continue to make appointments and announcements about new hires as needed, Deering added.

Here’s a list of leadership changes taking effect for the 2023-24 school year:

New teacher coaches at three elementary schools

Aleiyah Richardson, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to a teacher coach at Speedway Elementary School with a salary of $66,000 as of July 1.

Gina Lee, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to a teacher coach at Elliot Street Elementary School with a salary of $107,050 as of July 1.

Michelle Lambeth, a former math teacher, was promoted to a teacher coach at McKinley Elementary School with a salary of $64,000 as of July 1.

Four new vice principals take over

Camille Reid, a former teacher coach, was promoted to vice principal of Thirteenth Avenue School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Germaine Jenkins, a former teacher coach, was promoted to vice principal of McKinley Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Jessica Columbo Pereria, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to vice principal of Ironbound Academy Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Terrence Daniel, a former elementary school teacher, was promoted to vice principal of Mount Vernon Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

10 new principals lead Newark schools

At the high school level, Dr. David Cutts, a former English teacher at Bard High School, will replace the school’s former principal, Carla Stephens, who led the school since 2017. An English native from South Yorkshire, Cutts joined the district in 2012 after working as a professor at Southampton College on Long Island, which has since closed, and Princeton University’s English Department.

Natasha Pared, formerly a principal at Rafael Hernandez Elementary School, will replace Jose Aviles, who led Barringer High School since 2019.

At the elementary school level, Ryan Silver will be the first principal for the new Nelson Mandela Elementary School opening in the fall. The school, located at the former University Heights Charter School, will be led by Silver, a district alum and Newark native. The new school is enrolling students in pre-K-4, and is part of the district’s broader plan to open more schools and expand others.

Isabel Marques is the new principal at Ann Street Elementary School. Marques was previously a vice principal at the pre-K-8 school, where she focused on math, science, and middle schoolers. She is an educator with 22 years of experience, 20 of which have been in the district. She was promoted with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1.

Kinyetta Bird was promoted to principal of Avon Avenue with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. She is a former vice principal in the district and has eight years of experience working in Newark Public Schools, according to her LinkedIn profile. She will replace former first-year principal Krishna Dalal Barroso, who was promoted as Avon’s principal last year and will be a teacher at Belmont Runyon Elementary School starting this fall.

Marvelis Perreira is the new principal at Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School, one of the most densely populated schools in the city’s North Ward. She replaces former principal, Hamlet Marte, who led the school since 2019. She brings over 20 years of expertise in instructional leadership and experience as a Newark principal and vice principal. She was promoted to principal of the school with a salary of $141,700 starting July 1.

Newark native Diane Pereira was promoted to principal of Lafayette Street Elementary School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. She is the former vice principal at the school and brings 25 years of experience as a bilingual teacher, a math teacher, and an administrator. She began her career at Lafayette Street as a student teacher in 1998.

Jessica Rios is the new principal at Rafael Hernández Elementary School and former vice principal at Early Childhood School North for four years where she mentored teachers and led professional development, according to her bio on the district’s website. Previously, she won Newark Public Schools Superintendent’s Educator Excellence Award.

Raised in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, Daniella Alvarez is the new principal at Salomé Ureña Elementary School and the former vice principal at Wilson Avenue School. Alvarez is also a graduate of Wilson Avenue and Science High School. Previously, she worked as a summer school lead principal overseeing 15 summer school sites.

A West Ward native, Thalia Brownridge-Smith is the new principal of Thirteenth Avenue School and former vice principal at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a double minor in African-American Studies and anthropology. She received her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark student reading scores are low. Will the city’s new literacy action plan help?

2023-07-18T21:58:09+00:00

Surrounded by books at the Newark Public Library on Tuesday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced a 10-point Youth Literacy Action Plan that calls on the city’s schools, parents, community partners, and programs to get young children reading and writing amid low state test scores.

The plan focuses on developing literacy opportunities in all city programs, improving access to books that reflect cultural and ethnic backgrounds, encouraging expectant parents to read to their unborn children, and providing tutoring for students during the school day, among other points.

City, community, and local partners will work to pool their resources to promote the plan, host events and giveaways, and teach parents how to create reading opportunities for their children, city leaders said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“It is all our responsibility to make sure that our kids are reading on grade level,” Baraka said on Tuesday. “I want everybody to feel the same heaviness and weight that I feel. We believe that this is urgent for all of us to be engaged in immediately.”

Last spring, only 49% of New Jersey students passed the state’s English language arts test and only 27% of Newark public school students reached proficiency levels. Among Newark’s third graders, only 19% passed the state’s test, the lowest of any grade in the city.

Experts say being able to read fluently impacts a child’s likelihood to graduate high school, pursue college, and ultimately a career. From kindergarten to third grade students are learning to read and by fourth grade, students are using reading skills to learn, said Newark’s Chief Education Officer Sharnee Brown during Tuesday’s press conference.

Baraka’s plan “emphasizes prenatal to third grade” children to ensure the literacy work begins early and sets students up for long-term success, Brown added. The plan also encourages expectant mothers to seek prenatal care in clinics throughout the city to build healthy brain development and recommends that parents read to their unborn children.

The city’s action plan also calls on parents to enroll young children in free pre-K3 and pre-K4 programs in district or charter schools or programs led by community-based providers. The goal is to motivate families to incorporate reading activities for their children at an early age and continue them outside of the school day by reading to them and helping build their vocabulary.

“I look at literacy as building a house and ensuring a good, solid foundation,” Brown added. “When we teach young people how to read well, we’re really teaching them how to excel.”

The action plan encourages Newark parents to develop a home library and provide children with access to books. Research shows that children growing up in a home with a 500-book library helps them stay in school for 3.2 years longer compared to homes that have little to no books.

Brown said the city and local community partners are working together to host book giveaways and reading events throughout Newark this summer. In August, the city will host its annual “Reading Under the Stars” event to teach families how to read together. The plan is to “incentivize and celebrate reading” and “make it a Newark culture” to read, Brown added.

Newark Chief Education Officer Sharnee Brown explains the importance of promoting reading and developing literacy skills for young children during a press conference.

“We’re creating these literacy events where parents come and get free books but we’re also teaching parents how to do some of this work,” Brown said.

The Newark Public Library also offers programming for children year-round including reading activities, and reading challenges for kindergartners, elementary, middle, and high school students.

“You really want to incorporate literacy and reading into everything,” said Asha Mobiley, youth services supervisor at the Newark Public Library. “We really want to meet our young readers where they are so that we can help them get to where we want them to be.”

Baraka is also calling on city schools to implement one-on-one high-dosage tutoring during, before, and after the school day to help grow in reading and writing skills.

Research shows that high-dosage tutoring, or 30-minute tutoring for two to three days a week, provides the most impactful results. Newark Public Schools will continue to host its after-school Excel program this coming school year to provide tutoring, but will create more tutoring opportunities while students are in school, Superintendent Roger León said during a June press conference.

Currently, the district utilizes skills from an evidence-based reading approach known as the science of reading to teach students how to read, said León in June. This coming school year, the district will be using the “Fundations” program to help students learn the foundational skills of reading such as phonics, spelling, and writing, Mary Ann Reilly, Newark Public Schools assistant superintendent and director of the Office of Teaching and Learning, said on Tuesday.

“We also want to make sure that children are building important knowledge and they’re using reading in order to do that,” Reilly added.

Additionally, Newark’s plan calls on community-based and after-school programs to incorporate a literacy component into their programming and mandate funding to programs and sports that incorporate some level of reading and literacy. All city programs must provide a literacy program and if they don’t, Baraka wants parents to hold those programs accountable.

The 10-point plan was developed through research-informed data on literacy and in collaboration with Baraka’s Brain Trust, a group of community organizations focused on improving reading levels in Newark.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Report on racial, cultural dynamics at Newark’s Global Studies to remain internal, Superintendent Roger León says

2023-06-30T10:00:00+00:00

A review of the racial, cultural, and religious dynamics at Newark’s School of Global Studies is meant to help the district design a strategy to tackle racial issues in city schools, said Superintendent Roger León.

The review, conducted by consulting firm CREED Strategies, began in January and is the first mention of the district’s long-awaited plan to mend problems at the high school after incidents of racial harassment surfaced last fall. CREED Strategies is led by Dr. Lauren Wells, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s former chief education officer whose firm also helped create NPS Clarity 2020, the district’s one-year plan laying the foundation for change in schools after returning to local control.

But details about the firm’s analysis of Global Studies and its recommendations will not be made public, said León, speaking at a press conference on Thursday.

León offered few details about the report, which he said remains under review and is meant to serve as “an internal document for us to consider.”

Global Studies, which first opened its doors in 2020 welcoming ninth graders, has been promoted as a high school offering a global perspective where students could study different cultures and prepare to study abroad.

“We found it to be quite a problem that the school that we had created to show everyone the way was actually mirroring the problems that are in the way,” León said.

Last November, students at the Newark School of Global Studies spoke publicly about their experiences of racial harassment and abuse during their time there. The tensions led several students to transfer and some teachers to resign.

In response, the district said it was working on taking “corrective action” at the school but has not shared specific details about its plan.

Thursday’s update was the first glimpse into the district’s efforts to fix long-standing racial issues that drew heavy criticism from parents, students, and advocates about the way the school and district leaders handled the situation. The incidents also garnered attention from Baraka, who met with students in December and hosted a town hall in March to discuss unity among Black and brown communities.

The district’s partnership with CREED Strategies includes a research and data-sharing agreement that launched a study of the events at the high school last fall as well as interviews with students, parents, and teachers “who have been victims of racial, cultural, and/or religious incidents,” according to the agreement approved in January by the board.

León did not disclose details of the group’s review or findings on Thursday but said “three recommendations that were shared” are on par with what the district is doing to fix the problems. He also said the district would need to “procure other experts to really help us understand how to address particular issues.”

District leaders are currently reviewing the report and will meet with Wells and her team following revisions to the document, León said.

As the district works on developing strategies to address the racial issues, León wants to “tap the students at Global Students” to work with him and help inform the district’s strategy. The district is listening to students about these and other issues, León added, and is working to promote trust and honesty among them.

“If there are issues occurring in other schools, how do students activate that voice? What is the adult response that we need to have?” León added.

Students, staff, and parents at the center of the incidents grew increasingly frustrated at what they say was an initial lack of response from the high school’s administration, including principal Nelson Ruiz. At least one parent called for the removal of Ruiz but he has remained in his role since.

During Thursday’s press conference, León said he would also call on Ruiz to help other principals deal with similar issues at their schools and provide guidance as needed.

“So, his role will not only be to be the principal of a school, but also to help his colleagues in discussing these types of conversations, which must be addressed at all times,” León added.

Board members also said they have not reviewed the draft report from CREED Strategies. During June’s regular school board meeting, board vice president Dawn Haynes said she was expecting to hear an update on the report, which was brought up during June’s legal and governance committees that are closed to the public.

“It is a hot topic item that pretty much everybody on this dais is expecting to see some results from,” Haynes said. “To know that we put that in place as the board and we’re expecting some information based on it, a synopsis, the actual report, what are the beginning findings? It is imperative that that information gets to the board.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school-based health center opens at Speedway Avenue Elementary School

2023-06-26T20:15:57+00:00

Hundreds of Newark children and their families now have access to a new health center located in a public elementary school in the city’s West Ward.

City and Newark Public Schools leaders on Monday unveiled the new Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center at Speedway Avenue Elementary School. The opening of the new health center, which is available to all Newark residents regardless of health insurance status and ability to pay, comes at a time when a number of city families experience limited access to medical services and barriers to health care.

“We are excited about establishing a footprint here in the West Ward and engaging with residents here in our community,” said Ketlen Baptiste-Alsbrook, director of the Newark Department of Health and the new health center, during Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the clinic.

Newark residents can make an appointment at the new health center located in a public elementary school in the city’s West Ward.

In Newark, nearly 20% of residents under 65 do not have health insurance, according to U.S. Census data. The new health center is “the first step along the path” to tackle the problem among the city’s most vulnerable residents, Baptiste-Alsbrook added.

This is the first time the city has opened a health clinic in a Newark public school, according to City of Newark press secretary Susan Garofalo.

Black and Hispanic residents in New Jersey face barriers to health care and affordable medical coverage due to limited access to health care plans through their jobs, cost-related challenges, and transportation issues among other inequities.

Across the state, Black New Jersey residents are twice as likely to be uninsured and are more likely to seek coverage through public programs, according to research from the New Jersey Policy Perspective. The state’s immigrant communities are also the least likely to be insured and roughly 17% of Hispanic residents remain uninsured in the state, according to the New Jersey Policy Perspective.

Studies show that school-based health clinics can help improve student grades and attendance and reduce disparities by making health care more accessible to students from low-income backgrounds. The new Newark school-based health center is a partnership between the city and Newark Public Schools and is funded through American Rescue Plan dollars. It includes a small waiting area and four exam rooms equipped with medical devices and other equipment.

The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to residents in need of adult, pediatric, and behavioral health care. Residents will be seen by one of two physicians — Dr. Rachel Tikum for family medicine and Dr. Ijeoma Onyeagoch for behavioral health care services.

“We’re trying to do more outreach in the community since [this clinic] is right here in the school and is more accessible. The fact that we take insured and uninsured residents and walk-ins is very promising,” Tikum said during Monday’s grand opening.

The new Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center at Speedway Avenue Elementary School is available to all Newark residents.

The center has a separate entrance and exit from the elementary school that leads out into the parking lot on South Orange Avenue and “should not interfere with school activities,” city officials said.

City officials also said the school-based health center will support students’ mental health at a time where Black and Latino students have less access to mental health support than they did a decade ago.

Newark Public Schools teachers and staff can refer students to any of the clinic’s services. The clinic staff will also work with school nurses to identify potential needs, Baptiste-Alsbrook added.

Additionally, the district’s 2022-23 budget included increased staffing of social workers and counselors for any of its 38,000 students who may need behavioral support.

Residents interested in visiting the new clinic can make an appointment by calling 1-800- 734-7083.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark mothers of students with disabilities push through school year challenges

2023-06-26T10:00:00+00:00

At the beginning of this school year, Lisa Flores worried that her 7-year-old son would not get the support he needed at Newark’s Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School.

Eli, who has a speech delay, was just going into second grade and needed services that seemed slow to come.

Veronica Searles was concerned for her son, too. Deion Searles has ADHD and anxiety and receives special education services — but as classes began in Newark Public Schools last September, transportation issues threatened to keep him from even getting to school.

The two mothers and the barriers their children have to overcome show some of the challenges faced by the roughly 6,400 students with disabilities who attend Newark Public Schools. They are among the district’s most vulnerable — and have been some of the students hardest hit by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newark expects the number of students with disabilities to grow next year as the students in need of special education services are rising year over year across the country.

In the fall, as classes kicked off, Newark parents of students with disabilities said their children needed more support after some missed out on specialized instruction or therapy sessions that were difficult to provide during remote learning. Others were continuing to push for compensatory services, a legal right students in New Jersey and across the country have for making up instruction or services they might have missed during the pandemic.

Nine months later, parents like Flores and Searles say they are looking forward to next year, despite looming concerns about their child’s physical and educational progress and available resources.

Parents push for more educational support post-pandemic

Eli, who has been at Horton Elementary since kindergarten, will start third grade in the fall. He still struggles with speaking and is below grade level, his progress derailed after the district switched to remote learning in the spring of 2020.

That prompted Lisa Flores, a mother of two, to become a full-time advocate for her child by pressing the district for compensatory education. In January, Eli began receiving additional one-hour speech sessions four times a week before school, which Flores said she is thankful for but has not yet yielded improvements in her son’s speech.

Eli is a rising third grader at Horton Elementary with a speech delay. He enjoys playing baseball on his time off.

“I don’t think it was good enough to catch him up to where he needed to be,” Flores said. “But it was good for him.”

This year, the district hired at least six speech-language specialists and contracted with outside service providers to bring additional support in occupational, physical, and speech therapy for its students. But as the district works to help students catch up, parents like Flores continue to push for more.

Flores has an ongoing compensatory education case after filing a complaint with the state’s office of special education in October. She hopes Eli can receive more make-up services to improve his regression in speech, an effect of remote learning during the pandemic, Flores said.

In the meantime, she is happy to see her son become more involved in other activities like baseball where he is learning to be “a big kid” and relate with other children.

“I see him speaking up more for himself and I’m just really proud of him,” Flores added. “That’s what I’m looking forward to [next year]. Just watching him mature more and be able to advocate for himself.”

Newark mothers push for more support for their children

Newark Public Schools has a long history of struggling to implement programs and support for its students with disabilities. In 2012, the state began monitoring the district following the settlement of a class action lawsuit that accused the district and state special education department of not evaluating students for special education services or providing resources in a timely manner.

Last summer, district officials were ordered to take corrective action by Nov. 1, 2022 after the New Jersey Department of Education found that the district failed to meet six federal responsibilities for students with disabilities.

The state also found problems with reporting in education plans, notifying parents of meetings, and missing meetings with parents and students with disabilities as part of responsibilities mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

The district’s office of special education said in November 2022 that it corrected its problems by providing additional training to its child study team members on the missed areas.

But throughout the school year, many parents like Searles have had to turn for help to outside organizations, such as Nassan’s Place, a Newark community group providing support and activities for autistic children and their families.

The founder, Nadine Wright-Arbubakrr, is also the parent of 18-year-old Nassan, a Newark Public Schools student who has autism and is nonverbal, and is the inspiration behind Nassan’s Place.

Like Searles, Wright-Arbubakrr has worked to get her son the services he needs at his school, New Jersey Regional Day.

She is happy with the staff and teachers at the school but found it alarming that her son could not attend the after-school program because there wasn’t a nurse on-site during that time.

“Now going into the 2023-2024 school year,” Wright-Arbubakrr asked, “ will my son be denied an after-school program because he has a seizure disorder?”

Other mothers, like Rashae Phillips, have had a hard time getting services for their kids in charter schools.

Phillips is the mother of a rising seventh grader at KIPP BOLD Academy. Under her son’s IEP, he must receive occupational therapy due to ADHD and ADD. But Philips has struggled this year in finding additional support at her child’s school and isn’t sure if he’ll continue his education there next year.

She does not want him to attend the city’s public school system and is prepared to travel outside of the district to get him the support he needs.

“It’s just frustrating to me because of these things that I’ve been fighting to get for years,” Phillips said.

High school students with disabilities rely on district support

For Veronica Searles, the start of this school year was expensive, as she had to spend $80 on Lyfts to get her son, Deion, to and from school during the first two days of classes after the bus never picked him up.

Deion, now a rising freshman at the Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology, refuses to travel in the district’s yellow buses due to an incident in fifth grade where the bus didn’t bring him home until 8:30 p.m., his mother said.

The South Ward family is on a tight income and as Deion enters his first year of high school this fall, Searles hopes she can rely on the district’s transportation services to get him to campus.

The district contracts with busing companies that provide transportation in minivans or smaller buses, which Deion prefers to ride in. Under federal law, students with disabilities must be provided with transportation under their Individualized Education Programs.

Deion is a rising freshman at the Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology.

“My only concern is that he’s getting older and the only thing he wants to do is what the other kids do and I’m not confident enough that he can travel by himself,” Searles said.

Despite some of the challenges their children have faced this year, Flores and Searles say they are proud of the struggles their sons have overcome and celebrate the small victories in their lives.

In April, Deion asked the principal at his former school, Camden Street School, if he could organize an autism awareness event. He is also involved in helping other students in Nassan’s Place and participates in activities year-round.

Deion completed his last year of middle school with good grades, his mother said, and worked hard to be accepted into the high school he wanted to attend.

She offered this wish for next year: “I just pray that he’d meet wonderful kids and have a good experience, learn a lot, and find out more about himself and be more independent.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark board members ramp up attorney search before next school year

2023-06-21T14:42:00+00:00

The Newark Board of Education plans to speed up its search for an attorney after some members raised concerns over a “drawn-out” process during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The search for an attorney first began six months ago when the board approved a resolution to acquire its own legal representation. Currently, the board shares an attorney with the district.

At Tuesday’s meeting, board members discussed potential next steps in their attorney search and evaluated the district’s recommendations, which include creating a committee to oversee the process.

But board member Crystal Williams emphasized the urgency of having an attorney in place before the start of the next school year while President Asia Norton cautioned the other members about following district protocols.

“When you’re hiring someone we have to follow things. We have to make sure that we are in compliance legally,” said Norton during Tuesday’s discussion. “If we have a misstep it won’t be viewed as an accident, it would be viewed as a legal matter.”

Most school boards in New Jersey have their own counsel so they can act independently when board opinions differ from that of the superintendent, whom they are required to hold accountable.

The Newark board approved a resolution to secure a separate attorney for its nine-member board in January after news of Superintendent Roger León’s contract renewal sparked criticism from community members and raised questions about the board’s legal authority.

The board solicited proposals from interested law firms in May and received 12 bids at the beginning of June. Board members had not received a list of those firms prior to Tuesday’s discussion.

Among the firms that submitted proposals is the Souder, Shabazz & Woolridge law group, which is representing two of four board members facing ethics complaints currently before the New Jersey School Ethics Commission.

The attorney would be in addition to Brenda Liss, general counsel for Newark Public Schools, whose duties are much broader and include representing the superintendent and other members of the administration.

Norton said the district recommended that the board create a committee to review the submitted proposals and spearhead the process.

“It was not supposed to be this long, drawn-out process. This is dragging on way too long,” said Williams during Tuesday’s meeting.

Norton also said the board needs to review proposals and conduct interviews, a process “that will take time” and needs to be taken into consideration before a decision is made in August. Vice President Dawn Haynes said those “interviews are an option and should not stagnate the progress.”

Board member Josephine Garcia, who was elected in 2017, said the last time the current board hired someone was in 2018 when the school system returned to local control and hired León. She said the process consisted of special meetings and discussions among board members to evaluate applicants and come to a consensus.

Garcia agreed that there was a need for a process but said a discussion among colleagues prior to Tuesday’s meeting would have “made this conversation flow easier.”

Board member A’Dorian Murray Thomas recommended the board create an ad-hoc committee to evaluate candidates but asked that submitted proposals be shared with the entire board.

“We should have board action on this by August so come September we come in with our attorney,” Murray-Thomas said.

The board must evaluate each law firm’s ability to handle legal matters in education and the cost of its representation. Board members did not decide whether to create a committee to oversee the process or select members from the board to form part of the committee. Tuesday’s board meeting ended in an executive session, which was not open to the public.

The board also voted to approve one-year term contracts for legal services for the district to six law firms for the 2023-24 fiscal year at the rate of $200 per hour for attorneys and $90 per hour for paralegals. The firms will handle legal matters on behalf of the board as needed.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New Jersey’s teacher prep programs among the worst for literacy instruction, report says

2023-06-15T10:00:00+00:00

New Jersey is among the worst states in the nation at preparing future teachers to teach children how to read using an evidence-based reading approach, according to a report released Tuesday.

The National Council on Teacher Quality, known as NCTQ, evaluated nearly 700 teacher preparation programs across the country on how well they prepare aspiring elementary teachers to teach students to read using an approach known as the “science of reading.” That approach relies on five core components: phonemic awareness (which involves working with the individual sounds that make up words), phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The group’s report said that in New Jersey, “no programs adequately teach all five components of reading.” It also said New Jersey is “the worst in the nation for the average number of components of reading its programs adequately address.”

The study analyzed 10 college and university programs in New Jersey that included undergraduate and graduate programs for aspiring elementary teachers. However, another 13 programs in the state did not respond or provide the requested materials to NCTQ for evaluation.

Some education experts have previously criticized NCTQ for relying on incomplete or faulty data, and for giving low marks to teacher preparation programs in states where student performance was relatively strong. NCTQ changed how it analyzes teacher preparation programs following its 2020 report on the programs.

The study comes as educators nationwide continue to debate over how children are taught to read and how much emphasis schools should place on explicitly teaching certain components, such as phonics. Supporters of the science of reading say the approach helps struggling readers who may need sound-it-out instruction, like phonics, and other direct support to build vocabulary.

Dozens of states have passed laws in recent years that require schools to incorporate the science of reading, but New Jersey has not, according to Education Week.

Experts say reading is a key component in the developmental process that starts at an early age and impacts a child’s likelihood to graduate high school, pursue college, and ultimately a career. This year, advocates in New Jersey have called on top education leaders to develop a plan to improve literacy in public schools across the state.

New Jersey’s school districts are responsible for creating curriculums using state standards. In a May committee report, the Newark Board of Education said it’s helping students learn to read by utilizing the science of reading foundations in phonics. The board is set to vote on a new K-3 phonics curriculum for the next school year, according to the report.

Only 19% of Newark’s third graders passed last year’s state reading assessment, the lowest of any grade in the city. Just 19% of third grade Hispanic students passed the assessment, and only 13% of third grade Black students did so. Roughly 92% of students in Newark identify as Black or Hispanic, according to district data from last year.

Last year, 38% of New Jersey’s fourth grade students scored at or above proficiency level in reading last year on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, compared to the national average of 32%. Eighth graders in New Jersey also outperformed the national average.

New Jersey teacher prep programs neglect phonemic awareness

For its report, NCTQ reviewed program materials such as syllabi and coursework overviews obtained through public records requests. The report reviewed each program’s five core components of science-based reading instruction.

The College of New Jersey, Georgian Court University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Rider University, and Stockton University participated in the study.

The NCTQ report gave Montclair State University’s program a C grade, the highest ranking in the state. The other nine programs analyzed across seven academic institutions all earned F grades in NCTQ’s report.

In New Jersey, the programs reviewed by NCTQ were most likely to cover comprehension and least likely to cover phonemic awareness, but none provided at least one practice opportunity for aspiring teachers in each of the five components of the science of reading, according to the study. Six taught multiple techniques or approaches contrary to the science of reading learning-based approach, six devoted some instruction to supporting struggling readers, and five provided instruction on supporting English language learners, the study found.

Over the last several years, New Jersey has overhauled its teacher preparation regulations to ensure aspiring teachers spend more classroom time as they work to become educators.

Ensuring teachers know the core components of reading and literacy is essential for student success, but so is recognizing the complexities and challenges aspiring educators will face in the classroom, said Dr. Margaret Freedson, an associate professor at the Department of Teaching and Learning at Montclair State University.

“Our ideal is that our students have enough of a grounding in these understandings of child development with respect to reading, and understanding of all of these contextual variables to create engaging literacy environments for students from diverse backgrounds and experiences,” Freedson said.

In the report, NCTQ recommends that New Jersey leaders incorporate “a specific evaluation of reading instruction in program renewal or reauthorization processes” for colleges and universities. It advises them to take action if programs are not aligned with the state’s standards for science-based reading instruction.

The group also recommends that the state require “a reading licensure test aligned with scientifically based reading instruction for any PK-5 teachers.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark classes resume after closures due to unhealthy air quality alerts

2023-06-09T15:16:27+00:00

Update 06/09/2023: Newark Public Schools resumed classes on Friday, June 9 and central office employees returned to work. Recess and other outdoor activities will be held indoors as a precautionary measure, the district said.

Newark Public Schools and central office will be closed on Thursday as the smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to impact New Jersey and the surrounding areas.

The district made the announcement on its Facebook page just after midnight on Thursday. Unhealthy air quality conditions are expected to continue Thursday, and as of 7 a.m., Newark and nearly the rest of the state were under a purple alert, marking very unhealthy air quality conditions for residents.

In the surrounding area, KIPP Newark schools, North Star Academy schools, Irvington and Elizabeth school districts also announced they canceled classes on Thursday. Districts like Jersey City and Bloomfield decided to remain open and canceled recess along with outdoor activities during and after the school day on Thursday.

On Wednesday, New Jersey experienced the worst air quality in decades. Smoke from the millions of acres burning in Canada began to enter Newark and the vicinity on Tuesday evening. Red alerts were issued for Essex and the surrounding counties for unhealthy air conditions that day. On Wednesday, some areas of New Jersey experienced low visibility due to the smoke and saw an orange haze as air quality levels worsened in the afternoon.

Experts said inhaling smoke and ash from wildfires could cause damage and irritation to the body, lungs, and heart. The city of Newark urged residents to stay indoors when possible and advised sensitive groups such as young children, elderly residents, and people with asthma to stay indoors. The risk is higher for communities such as Newark, where people are exposed to higher levels of pollution and are twice as likely to develop asthma, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

Northern New Jersey reached very unhealthy air quality levels at 1 p.m,. with an air quality index reading of 205 in Newark as heavy smoke enveloped the region. The air quality index continued to rise as Newark and the tri-state area saw hazardous conditions reaching air quality index levels of more than 301 on Wednesday afternoon.

New Jersey state offices closed at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday due to worsening air quality conditions and will have a delayed 10 a.m. opening on Thursday.

Residents can check their local air quality at the AirNow website, which provides state, local and regional updates.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark schools cancel outdoor activities due to smoke from Canadian wildfires

2023-06-07T17:13:39+00:00

Newark Public Schools canceled outdoor recess and activities on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires enveloped the area.

School business administrator Valerie Wilson emailed school principals late Tuesday night about precautionary measures they should take in light of the unhealthy air quality in Newark. The city of Newark is also urging residents to take precautions during this time.

“We are monitoring this matter very carefully and with the guidance of health officials will make notifications of any changes,” said Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director, “Also, as a precautionary measure, all recess activities are being held inside.”

On Tuesday evening, red alerts were issued for Essex and surrounding counties for unhealthy air conditions as smoke began to enter the area from the hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada. On Wednesday morning, New Jersey residents woke up to smoke still clouding the area and state officials are expecting worsening conditions this afternoon.

Inhaling smoke and ash from wildfires could cause damage to the body, lungs, and heart, experts say. That could pose a special risk for communities such as Newark, where people are exposed to higher levels of pollution and are twice as likely to develop asthma, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

The city of Newark is urging residents to take precautions as unhealthy air quality levels affect the area.

The district is using air filters in school areas due to the smoke and asked principals to ensure all windows remain closed on Wednesday. The city is also advising residents to stay indoors as much as possible and use an air purifier if one is available.

Due to unhealthy air conditions, sensitive groups such as young children, elderly residents, and people with asthma are advised to stay indoors.

Wilson’s email to principals did not mention safety precautions for students with asthma but nearly 600 employees districtwide are trained to support these students. While 1 in 10 kids across Essex County have asthma, in Newark, the rate is 1 in 4, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. In 2016 and 2019, two Newark children from the same school died of asthma attacks.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Newark Teachers Union posted a message on its Facebook page advising against outdoor recess today and recommending that asthmatic children and adults wear a mask outside.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness continue to monitor the air quality and will issue updates as needed throughout the day.

Residents can check their local air quality at the AirNow website, which provides state, local and regional updates.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Roughly 10,000 Newark public school students need summer school this year, district says

2023-06-01T18:29:04+00:00

About 10,000 Newark Public Schools students — double the number from last year —are in need of mandatory summer school, a program that the district said will focus on filling academic gaps, reinforcing skills, and preparing students for the next school year.

In Newark, mandatory summer school is based on attendance, grades, and state test scores. Officials said the increase in students mandated to attend this year was due in part to the delayed release of last year’s state test scores, which were the first taken by students since 2019.

The scores, released in fall 2022, showed dismal results and highlighted the pandemic’s toll on student learning, prompting the district to identify “about 10,000 Newark students in need of summer school,” out of roughly 35,000 public school students, according to a district committee report.

Elementary students who do not attend within the first three days may lose their seats and high schoolers enrolled in the accelerated program must attend every day to keep their spots, according to the district website.

The number of students enrolled in summer school also doubled but the district did not provide exact numbers in its report. Last summer, more than 10,000 students between kindergarten and 12th grade attended the district’s summer programming, including mandatory summer school, according to a district press release.

“Tutoring and accelerated learning are two factors that are designed to assist us in addressing the impact of learning loss,” Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director, said in an email to Chalkbeat Newark. “The on-going support of parents and their families is extremely important and much appreciated.”

State tests known as the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, or NJSLA, which Newark students took in spring 2022, showed 13% of students passed their math state tests while about 27% passed their English language arts exam. Learning loss, paired with the drop in math and language arts state test scores and concerns about student achievement, is leading Newark to double down on summer programs this year that target academic performance.

Summer school sites increased this year so students have “more opportunities,” said Superintendent Roger León during May’s school board meeting. He also said the city is “taking on seven sites to help us accelerate learning and mandatory summer school in the elementary schools.”

This year’s summer school program will “accelerate” learning and focus on student recovery from the learning loss experienced due to the pandemic, León added.

Newark will offer summer school at 14 sites for students entering kindergarten through eighth grade this fall. The district expanded its summer plus program, which combines academic and enrichment activities to improve math and reading skills and help students prepare for the next school year, according to the district’s summer programs brochure.

León also said this is the first time in decades that nearly all of the district’s high schools will be open during the summer. Dozens of academic and enrichment programs, including internships, will be offered for high schoolers this year.

Twelve schools will offer credit recovery for high schoolers to ensure students are on track to graduate and support those who have recently transferred into the district, the committee report noted. The report also said the district would offer students the opportunity to complete modules, but said it “is not an open option” for all.

High school students in the summer program will take non-core classes for learning acceleration to have “more opportunities during the school year for dual enrollment,” the district’s committee report said. The expectation is for over 2,800 high school students to participate in summer programs at the high school, according to the report.

Newark will also offer the “Future Leaders Program” to 50 students who will intern throughout district departments and get paid as part of the city’s summer youth and training program.

The Extended School Year program will also be available this year for students with disabilities. Students in this program require services beyond the traditional school year under their Individual Education Program and will receive academic and behavioral support in the morning.

The district will also offer the newcomers high school program designed to help English language learners who have recently arrived in the country. The program will be held at Barringer and East Side high schools and provides a learning environment to help students ease into a new high school, according to the district’s summer programs brochure.

During April’s school board meeting, León said the district will monitor the progress of students this summer and create an impact study during the summer or by the start of next school year. León also said students who attend charter, private, or parochial schools in Newark can also participate in the district’s summer enrichment programs.

Newark continues to accept staff applications for teachers interested in working during the summer. Currently, 23 instructional summer positions are open, according to the district’s job board page online.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s decision to appeal state-approved city charter school expansion sparks concern

2023-05-25T14:00:00+00:00

A Newark school board member raised questions about the district’s process for filing an appeal of a state-approved charter school expansion, saying the appeal had been filed without a board vote.

Crystal Williams, who was elected in 2022, then introduced a motion during Tuesday’s board meeting to withdraw the appeal. Her motion died for lack of a second by any of the other eight members on the board.

In February, the state approved North Star Academy’s charter school expansion of 492 additional seats, increasing enrollment from 7,300 to 7,792 by the 2025-26 school year, according to an approval letter obtained by Chalkbeat. North Star is one of the largest charter school networks in the city with six elementary, six middle, and two high schools.

But the district appealed the state’s decision in March, saying the charter school does not meet enrollment demands that warrant an expansion, places a financial burden on Newark Public Schools, and creates “a segregative effect” on the public school system, according to the appeal filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division. No court date has been set on the matter, according to the appellate court.

Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering did not respond to comment on the discussion.

North Star’s expansion approval also comes after the state denied several requests for charter school expansions over the last few years.

“We believe that the appeal lacks merit for many reasons, including those in the Commissioner’s approval letter which cite the high achieving results of our students and North Star’s fiscal and organizational strength and stability,” said Barbara Martinez, a spokeswoman for North Star, in an email to Chalkbeat Newark on Wednesday.

During Tuesday’s board of education business meeting, Williams was the only board member to raise the concerns at the meeting and referenced New Jersey law, which states that “a district board of education or state district superintendent of the district of residence of a charter school may file an appeal.”

“We are under local control,” said Williams. “So this superintendent is not a state superintendent. It has to be voted on by the full board. When he or you decide to do court proceedings without our vote, you’re going around us.”

But Brenda Liss, the district’s general counsel, said “there is no rule that says that an appeal must be acted upon by the Board of Education” and that the law referenced by Williams is not “intended to delineate or address the relationship between the Superintendent and the Board of Education.”

North Star, which has been in Newark since 1997 and operates in the city’s south, central, and west wards, reported an enrollment waitlist of 633 Newark students and 133 non-resident students last year, according to the state’s approval letter. Although the school hasn’t met its maximum approved enrollment, North Star says all schools are at 90% capacity or more, according to the charter schools’ Jan. 2023 letter to the state justifying its need for an expansion.

“Though North Star is chartered for a higher number of seats in high school, the size of its current facilities makes it impossible to fill high school seats to capacity,” the letter read.

North Star’s letter also noted that “Newark is a growing city” and “should expect more students, more new schools, and with them more school funding.”

According to the Newark Public Schools budget approved in April, charter school payments make up the district’s second largest expenditure at $353.8 million, an $11.8 million increase from last year.

For the 2023-24 school year, Newark received an additional $114 million in state aid, or an increase of about 11% from last year.

Kyle Rosenkrans, executive director of the New Jersey Children’s Foundation, in an email to Chalkbeat on Wednesday said Liss’s statements about the district’s appeal process are contrary to state law and go back on the community strides to return Newark schools to local control.

“Newark was once a national model for charter-district collaboration, and no amount of Leon’s rhetorical gaslighting can hide the fact that he has single-handedly squandered the goodwill that many—including its elected school board—spent years to build,” Rosenkrans added.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Artificial intelligence could come to Newark public schools. What does that mean for student privacy and safety?

2023-05-23T10:00:00+00:00

The item tucked in a Newark Board of Education committee report was brief, just a few sentences that could have far-reaching implications for the district’s 35,000 students: Replace an outdated security camera system with a “next-generation surveillance platform.”

The new system would include more than 7,000 cameras districtwide — roughly one for every five students — equipped with artificial intelligence to recognize people and objects such as cars and guns, sensors to detect chemicals in vape pens, and remote access to live feeds for authorized staff.

The plan, to be funded in part by federal COVID relief dollars, drew little response at the school board’s monthly business meeting in March. The proposed system would vastly expand the district’s surveillance capabilities, going beyond traditional systems currently used in most districts.

Community advocates and security experts are raising alarms, saying such a system could violate student and staff privacy, lead to overpolicing of students, and not actually protect campuses.

Giovanna Castaneda, a youth organizer at Make The Road NJ, says keeping students safe means more than hiring security guards, installing metal detectors, or buying security cameras. She fears these tools could also be a way of “fueling the system of policing” in schools.

“Cameras can easily just be another way of watching students and punishing them,” Castaneda said.

The push to keep students safe has grown in the wake of a rise in school shootings year after year and high-profile tragedies, like those in Uvalde, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. While many school districts across the country have ramped up security, new surveillance technologies that are far more complex than traditional cameras are emerging in districts like Newark, experts say.

Artificial intelligence cameras with facial recognition systems, cloud-based systems to manage and store information, and student social media monitoring software are among the tools that experts are seeing districts choose.

But some of these new technologies often come with little to no state or local oversight, critics warn. Without that scrutiny, they say, these tools could be misused, not as effective, or put student privacy at risk.

In Newark Public Schools, that committee summary report said the new camera system is needed because the district’s current security set-up is “outdated, inefficient,” pointing to no remote access, storage, and other limitations.

The report, written by the district’s office of information technology, spells out features officials are looking for: live feeds, higher-quality images, the ability to be programmed to record at certain times of the day, and the potential to track school buses.

Additionally, the system should work with security cameras and sensors to react to the sounds of a gun, glass breaking, and human screaming.

Although the district says it has not started its process to solicit a vendor for the new camera system, the goal is to “enhance security” and the plan is to receive bids before the start of next school year, according to acting communications director Nancy Deering. Officials plan to complete the installation by the end of 2023, Deering said.

In 2021, the district allocated $2.4 million in federal COVID money for security cameras, but Deering said it will not have a final budget for this security overhaul until it chooses a vendor. Officials plan to pick the “most suitable and most cost-effective solution,” Deering added.

But the lack of a firm plan and budget, experts warn, could leave the district vulnerable to aggressive marketing strategies that describe complex security tools and technology as an essential part of keeping students safe at a time when school shootings are a top concern for educators.

“I’ve done a lot of work on stories about school districts because they are one of the largest markets for security products in the United States,” said Conor Healy, director of government research at IPVM, a security and surveillance research group. “Schools tend to make very poor decisions when it comes to the security technology they buy.”

In 2020, the Baldwin County School District in Alabama spent $1 million on thermal cameras that the Food and Drug Administration later said were not authorized under the federal government, according to an IPVM and a CBS affiliate investigation. Similarly in 2022, the Daily Beast reported that more than 200 school districts nationwide purchased thermal scanners and cameras promoted as a way to detect fevers, but which would regularly fail.

Districts bolster security in the name of student safety

Newark is one of many districts nationwide seeking to boost security in the wake of mass shootings. New York City purchased door-locking systems to control who has access to school buildings. Districts like Chicago spent $73.3 million to add and upgrade security cameras and in Memphis, the district is slated to spend up to $6.3 million to bolster security.

And Newark Public Schools has already been increasing security for several years. The school district installed metal detectors to scan students for contraband and weapons and added six new patrol cars for school safety officers. It also provided its security guards with training including on bag scanners, active shooter response, and the drug and alcohol policy. Newark plans to hire more security guards and update its software to track school incidents.

At the state level, Gov. Phil Murphy approved multiple efforts to keep children in schools safe, including $6.5 million in federal COVID relief funds to have school districts digitize school building maps and make them available to first responders in emergency situations. The maps will include aerial views of school buildings, floor plans, and utility shut-offs among other information.

Murphy also approved legislation in August 2022 to require boards of education in each school district to develop and adopt a policy to establish a threat assessment team tasked with identifying students who might be a threat to school safety.

Newark’s plan to overhaul its camera system would be a more ambitious step to monitor students, staff, and those visiting schools.

John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, says he is comfortable with adding thousands of cameras in district schools as long as they are kept out of classrooms and teacher’s lounges. In the past, he’s received complaints about cameras being inoperable at specific schools or during certain parts of the day, a problem when students or staff claim that they were injured in hallways or staircases.

“As long as they can maintain a service agreement and keep them operable, we have no issue with them,” Abeigon said.

Privacy and policing concerns grow as new technologies are implemented

While surveillance and security companies sell new tools by promising to promote safety and giving administrators a greater ability to monitor students, experts say officials should carefully weigh the sales pitch against student needs.

Companies such as Verkada and Rhombus market security tools that will “help manage school security” and “create safer schools.” These companies market artificial intelligence capabilities in their surveillance systems that can send real-time alerts to law enforcement agencies and track faces in school buildings.

Similar to facial recognition on phones, security cameras that use artificial intelligence can monitor and keep a log of faces. But these cameras could potentially misidentify items or students and monitor them in ways that could infringe on their privacy, said Dillon Riesman, a Skadden fellow at the ACLU-NJ who specializes in advocacy for civil rights and technology.

Security experts also warn that facial recognition features might not work as well on darker skin tones, posing an extra challenge for students of color who risk being misidentified. That could present a particular concern in a district such as Newark, where nearly 90% of students identify as Hispanic or Black, say policy experts at the American Civil Liberties Union New Jersey.

“These new technologies cost schools millions of dollars for systems and functionality and tools that the school might not need,” Riesman added, “or worse, might actively harm students.”

According to Deering, the Newark Public Schools spokesperson, artificial intelligence offers capabilities that the outdated camera system is not capable of, and says the district’s goal in acquiring these capabilities “is to enhance security, not penalize students.”

Experts also warn of privacy concerns due to hacking, since information is stored in cloud-like platforms. Verkada, for example, uses a cloud-based management system and has had its cameras hacked. Several workers were also accused of accessing the company’s facial recognition system to take and post photos of women at the company, according to CBS News and VICE. In response to the reporting, Verkada fired three employees who abused the company’s monitoring system and updated its systems following the hacking incident.

Verkada declined to comment on their previous hacking incident and employee misuse of facial recognition.

The company has also been accused of dubious marketing practices. It sold technology to public schools throughout North Jersey by recruiting a Bergen County superintendent to help connect the companies’ sales representatives to school employees, who would be offered incentives in exchange for sales meetings, according to VICE.

No legislative oversight over security cameras in schools

Under New Jersey law, school officials can install cameras to keep watch of areas “that could be monitored or patrolled by a person.” There are no strict rules on where they can be placed, but cameras are generally not allowed in bathrooms or locker rooms.

State law also says the best practice is for schools to provide notice of surveillance areas by placing signs near security cameras but it’s unclear if the practice is enforced.

In Newark, which has 3,000 classrooms across the district, Deering said officials cannot disclose where cameras will be placed for security purposes, but they are installed outside school buildings or near entrances.

The state provides districts with funding for school security projects and upgrades, but few guidelines on how to use the funds, according to ACLU-NJ.

During the 2020-2021 regular state legislative session, a bill to include security cameras in certain special education classrooms was introduced but ultimately died. During the 2022-2023 regular session, state Sen. Nia Gill introduced a bill to restrict the use of facial recognition technology and other “biometric recognition” by governmental entities but it failed to move forward.

Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz and Senate education committee chair Vin Gopal did not comment on school surveillance technology regulations.

Joe Johnson, policy counsel at the ACLU-NJ, says the lack of state oversight over security and surveillance companies is a problem.

“It is left up to the school districts and sometimes that’s beneficial,” Johnson said. “But other times, students that live in one part of the state have a different experience, whether better or worse, than other students across the state.”

Advocates stress the importance of community engagement

As districts invest taxpayer dollars into these tools and systems, advocates say it’s important to include the community in discussions. In addition, bringing awareness about the implementation of new surveillance technologies could promote trust and better understanding for parents.

District spokesperson Deering said notice about Newark Public Schools’ plan to replace its outdated camera system would be provided to the community “at the appropriate time.”

Dave Maass, director of investigations at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said community oversight on how these technologies are implemented is important for school communities. Johnson, the policy counsel at ACLU-NJ, said school districts should work on getting “the information in front of parents and students” before new tools are implemented.

“Those conversations lead to a stronger school district because the local community can weigh in on what it is that the students need,” Johnson said.

Castaneda, the youth organizer, believes there needs to be a larger conversation on how funds are used to promote safe school environments. Those dollars could be better spent to tackle the causes that lead to students carrying guns, drugs, or engaging in violence, she said.

“It’s about getting to know the student and knowing where they come from, what they ate, what their family life is like, and getting at the root of the issue,” Castaneda added.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Low reading levels among New Jersey students spark new campaign aimed at improving literacy

2023-05-18T19:27:54+00:00

After an alarming drop in reading and language arts test scores among students in New Jersey, state and local advocates are urging education leaders to develop a plan to improve literacy in public schools.

The New Jersey Legacy of Literacy (NJLL) Coalition, a group launched by JerseyCAN, a statewide organization advocating for high quality education for public school students, is urging Gov. Phil Murphy, the state legislature, and the state’s department of education to adopt a statewide plan that addresses literacy in every public school.

Ensuring students can read is important for their long term success, said Paula White, executive director of JerseyCAN.

“You cannot access the curriculum if you cannot read well,” White added. “And by reading well, I don’t just mean calling out words and being able to decode, but also to have a level of comprehension.”

Historically, New Jersey fourth and eighth graders have fared better than the nation’s average in reading tests known as the “nation’s report card,” but saw dismal results in last year’s assessment.

Similarly, in the state’s English language arts test, only 49% of New Jersey students passed and only 27% of Newark public school students reached proficiency levels last spring, prompting advocates’ concern for student learning, especially among students of color.

Experts say reading is part of a developmental process that starts at a young age and impacts a child’s likelihood to graduate high school, pursue college, and ultimately a career.

It’s important to tackle the problem early on, White said, especially in third grade where reading levels “are a significant predictor” for reading levels in the eighth grade and beyond. Students of color in New Jersey are more at risk of falling behind as reading proficiency levels among Black third graders in public schools started to decline in 2019, before the pandemic, according to a report by The Racial Equity Initiative.

White calls the current reading crisis, an “achievement gulf,” alluding to the disparities in reading levels that began before the pandemic. That “gulf” can be a problem for Newark in the future if it fails to prepare its children for the workforce and potential jobs in the city, White added.

“If we don’t have a populace that is academically prepared to step into those roles then we run the danger of having some of those opportunities leave our state or folks coming into our state from elsewhere to take advantage of those opportunities,” White said.

In Newark, only 19% of third graders passed last year’s state reading assessment, the lowest of any grade in the city. More strikingly, 19% of third grade Hispanic students passed their English language arts test, and only 13% of third grade Black students met expectations.

Local groups like Project Ready, the Newark Trust for Education, and TFA New Jersey have already signed up to partner with JerseyCAN and participate in the coalition of groups from across the state to launch a layered plan that starts with a marketing campaign to bring awareness about the literacy gap in New Jersey public schools.

The work also focuses on a lobbying campaign to push the state legislature to define clear state directives and goals to address the reading gap, enable training for all public school teachers, mandate more significant notice to parents about their children’s reading levels, and instruct the state department of education to develop and implement a plan to address the gap. School districts should also be supported in choosing reading curricula as local districts in New Jersey make their own decisions on those items, White added.

Teachers are tasked with tackling the reading crisis but the goal, White said, is to ensure that “educators are trained in the science of reading” in order to prepare teachers to meet the demands of today.

It’s also important to ensure that young students are screened in early grades, so that if they show signs of reading challenges such as dyslexia, schools can provide early intervention and support, White added. Parents should also know whether or not their child is reading on grade level and easily find school level support if they’re not.

“There needs to be a really clear line in the sand that’s yes or no about where children stand,” White added.

Under the state’s 2024 budget, Murphy allocated $20 billion for pre-K-12 education, an increase of $1 billion over the current year. The additional funds are important but White says the state needs to focus on a clear vision to tackle the “achievement gulf” in reading.

“If we have the funds and we don’t have a clear vision and clear pathway, about how to get to our goals, it’s not going to amount to much,” White added.

The New Jersey Legacy of Literacy Coalition kicked off its “literacy tour” campaign on Wednesday in Newark with a screening of “The Right to Read,” a film that shines a light on the consequences of illiteracy, such as homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration. The group will also screen the film in Asbury Park on May 24 and in Camden on May 31.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board of Education members choose new president, co-vice presidents

2023-05-15T10:00:00+00:00

Five years after New Jersey’s largest school system returned to local control, newly elected Board of Education members — all part of the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate endorsed by state and local politicians — were officially sworn in.

Incumbents Josephine Garcia and Hasani Council were reinstated to their roles and newcomer Allison James-Frison took on her new duties. The board also elected members Asia Norton as new president and Vereliz Santana and Dawn Haynes as co-vice presidents during Thursday’s meeting, where parents, district employees, family members, and community leaders filled the room.

According to Essex County election data posted online, 5,408 people, just over 3% of Newark voters, cast ballots in this year’s school board election.

Voters also passed Newark Public Schools’ $1.3 billion budget, which is earmarked to expand teaching positions and “aggressively” tackle learning loss driven by the pandemic by continuing to support programs such as tutoring, among other items.

“I’m not new to the policies and I’m not new to what education excellence should look like,” said James-Frison, a social worker and nonprofit founder as she addressed the boardroom for the first time.

Newark regained full control of its school system in 2018, ending 25 years of state intervention that seized power from the local community and fundamentally reshaped New Jersey’s largest district. The board is responsible for holding Superintendent Roger León accountable and ensuring the district’s progress after state control.

Newly elected board members will serve a three-year term and must work to address the most pressing issues in Newark schools including, learning loss in the district as well as mental health challenges among young people, chronic absenteeism, and graduation rates. They will also have to address the needs of students with disabilities as autism cases spike across the city and state along with the growing number of English language learners in New Jersey’s largest school district.

“The only way we will continue to make progress and expedite that progress is if we continue to come together and work together,” Norton, the new board president, said Thursday. “Our children are depending on the people in this room.”

Before giving their inaugural speeches, Garcia, Council, and James-Frison took turns calling up family members, friends, and campaign volunteers as they were sworn in by the district’s general counsel, Brenda Liss. They read their oath of office statements noting their requirement to uphold the law and “impartially and justly perform all the duties.”

At the meeting, Council abstained from voting on all three board leadership appointments citing issues with the makeup of the board.

“My abstentions were not against my board colleagues. It was because I believe we should have had a totally reorganized board and the makeup of our leadership needed to look different,” Council added during the meeting.

During the meeting, a member of the public who took issue with Norton’s charter school background as a former teacher at North Star Academy, KIPP NJ, and Marion P. Thomas Charter School, interrupted the meeting as board members read the code of ethics. She paced around the front of the room, shouting as security guards surrounded her and asked her to leave.

Board members also voted to reconfirm seating arrangements so the board’s president could sit next to its two vice presidents. The board’s new leadership includes two Black women and a Latina.

The Newark Board of Education will meet virtually on Saturday, May 20 for its annual retreat board meeting and in person at George Washington Carver Elementary School on Thursday, May 25 for its regular school board meeting.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools renews consultancy contract with Malcolm X’s oldest daughter Attallah Shabazz

2023-05-11T17:35:27+00:00

The Newark Board of Education renewed a $200,000 contract with a consulting firm to work with two city high schools, including one named after the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X.

According to the renewal contract approved in March, the district rehired the firm Legacy Inc., “Everybody Has One,” founded and operated by Attallah Shabazz, the oldest daughter of Malcolm X, for a two-year period ending in August 2025. The initial contract, approved by board members in October 2021, also was for a two-year period and expires in October 2023.

The contract does not provide a detailed list of services offered by Shabazz and her company but says she will provide unspecified “global education enhancement consultancy.” The document points to the district’s need to hire a consultant with “an extensive global network” to provide services for the Newark School of Global Studies and Malcolm X Shabazz High Schools.

“The overall goal for the consultant is to assist principals and [the] district with developing strategic partnerships that will enhance the content major studies in Arabic language and International Relations, and Chinese language, STEAM fields and International Business,” the contract reads.

Both high schools have attracted media attention in recent years for tensions among students and staff. This school year, racial tensions at Global Studies prompted some students to transfer out of the high school and several teachers to resign. The district launched a corrective action plan at the school earlier this year, but details about the plan have not been shared with the public.

Last year, Shabazz High School grappled with violence, disorder, and low academic achievement. At that time, the district said reported incidents at Shabazz were investigated and addressed and steps to improve learning and safety at the school were taken.

Nancy Deering, acting communications director for Newark Public Schools, said Shabazz’s services are “extraordinary and unspecifiable” and allow the district to make use of her organization’s “personal and professional experiences without a specific limiting definition” in the contract. Shabazz also serves as a provost for the programs at the high schools, Deering added.

“Ambassador Shabazz supports our schools with establishing global programming,” Deering said. “She works with students and faculty to further establish relationships and exposure with international entities, and she brings individuals and opportunities that cannot be defined in a single consulting agreement.”

Shabazz did not respond to Chalkbeat Newark’s emailed questions about her work in the district.

In the renewal resolution, which was approved during the regular board meeting in March, the district said it did not solicit bids for the consultancy services due to “extraordinary unspecifiable services,” a practice allowed under New Jersey State law.

According to the contract posted online, the board “does not have the expertise or experience for the requested global education enhancement services”. The contract also says Shabazz’s firm will “serve as a strategist and technician” to assess and direct the Newark Board of Education Strategic Plan.

In February 2020, Superintendent Roger León and Shabazz met to “strategize major new initiatives at Malcolm X Shabazz High School and the Newark School of Global Studies,” prior to Global Studies’ opening in September of that year, according to a press release on the district’s website. It is unclear what initiatives Shabazz worked on at both high schools.

Shabazz’s company was established in the state on Sept. 8, 2020 and is based in Secaucus, according to a New Jersey Secretary of State business search.

Legacy Inc., “Everybody Has One,” was first founded in 1999 in Charlotte, North Carolina, before being dissolved and inoperable in 2009 for failing to provide annual reports, according to company filing history provided to that state.

The company was also registered in 2002 and 2009 in Nevada but its business license was permanently revoked after it failed to renew it causing the company to forfeit its right to do business there. According to the Nevada Secretary of State’s press office, a business enters a permanently revoked status if it fails to renew its business license after five years.

Shabazz’s company was also registered in 2003 in Los Angeles, California, but has been inactive since 2005, according to a California Secretary of State business search.

According to Shabazz’s biography and cover letter, the former Prime Minister of Belize recognized her as a “key advisor on International Cultural Affairs & Project Development.” In 2002, he appointed her as “the Ambassador-at-Large representing the country of Belize internationally and in perpetuity.”

Shabazz is a producer and writer with 38 years of providing keynote addresses while developing curriculums and programs for educational institutions, executive forums, diplomatic networks, penal systems, conferences, and human service organizations globally, according to her cover letter.

She is the oldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New Jersey Board of Education sets lower high school exit exam passing score after narrow vote

2023-05-03T19:49:20+00:00

After months of deliberation and recommendations from New Jersey’s top education officials, the State Board of Education voted to lower the high school exit exam passing score, a requirement for graduation.

On Wednesday, board members voted 6-5 to lower the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment passing score in the English language arts and math portions of the test to 725, down from the original 750 scores. The new scores apply to the classes of 2024 and 2025 and will allow more students to meet graduation requirements next school year, according to analyses provided by department officials.

Board President Kathy Goldenberg had the final vote on the decision and paused before voting in favor of the resolution to lower the passing scores.

“To be clear, I am listening to the experts in the field that feel that 725 should be the cut score,” Goldenberg said.

Despite the new changes, state board officials remained split over the decision, citing concerns about ensuring students’ graduation and career readiness. The vote took nearly two hours as board members reignited discussions about the usefulness of the test, the rigor of New Jersey graduation requirements, and the state’s response to helping students post-pandemic.

“We should think to ourselves as to what do New Jersey students need to know, what kind of level of mastery should they have on a subject matter for us to say here’s your certificate, you have succeeded,” said board Vice President Andrew Mulvihill who voted against the resolution during Wednesday’s meeting.

Similar to April’s board meeting, the New Jersey Department of Education presented an analysis of the spring 2022 high school exit exam results and reiterated its recommendation to lower the passing scores by citing the negative mental health and wellness impacts of the COVID pandemic on students. Last year, high school juniors took the exam as a trial run after Gov. Phil Murphy waived the requirement for the graduating class of 2023 due to the pandemic.

Of the high school juniors who took the trial run version of the exit exam in 2022, when the passing score was set at 750, only 39% passed the English language arts portion, while 50% passed math, according to state data. If the passing score had been lowered to 725 last spring, 57% of students would have passed math while 81% would have passed English language arts, according to data presented on Wednesday.

Angelica Allen-McMillan, the acting commissioner for the state’s Department of Education, said the recommendation to lower the passing score to 725 came through the work of educational experts, teams, and multiple discussions among state leaders. They analyzed data, known as performance indicators, that demonstrate mastery of specific knowledge and skills students typically show at different performance levels.

Board member Joseph Ricca said the expectation to think “that a 17- or an 18-year-old graduating from a public high school in the state of New Jersey has finished learning or is a master in anything” is a “flawed premise.”

“I think what we really need to recognize is providing multiple pathways for students to demonstrate mastery in certain topics as they developmentally progress. But also leaving them a lot of runway to continue to grow,” Ricca added.

The board’s Wednesday vote also set lower passing scores for alternate assessments that students who don’t pass the high school exit exam can take to meet the graduation requirement. According to state data on Wednesday, approximately 60% of students fulfilled their graduation assessment requirements by using state assessments in 2022, one of several alternatives for students who do not pass their high school exit exam. Alternate assessments include the ACT, PSAT, and SAT, among others.

The state Department of Education also projected that if the board kept the 750 passing scores, the class of 2024 could have resulted in nearly 40,000 portfolio appeals for English language arts and 22,000 for the math portion of the test. Portfolio appeals are a process typically requiring help from a teacher or staff member for students who have not met the exit test requirement.

In some districts, students must give up an elective during their senior year to take a portfolio preparation course. In other districts, support for the portfolio process is not always available.

The new passing scores approved Wednesday take effect immediately.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark voters elect two incumbents and a newcomer to the school board

2023-04-27T10:30:00+00:00

Two incumbents on the Newark Board of Education won Tuesday’s election alongside their newcomer running mate as voters chose to keep the status quo among the board.

With roughly 94% of voting districts reported, 87% of voters also chose to pass Newark Public Schools’ $1.3 billion budget.

The “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, which was endorsed by Mayor Ras Baraka and other local and state leaders, secured three seats in a landslide win, according to preliminary results posted Tuesday night.

Their victory comes amid growing concern over the board’s transparency in decision-making, increasing rates of chronic absenteeism, and plans to support the district’s most vulnerable students. All eight candidates expressed disappointment in voter turnout and engagement as just over 3% of Newark voters participated in elections again.

Incumbents Josephine Garcia and Hasani Council received the bulk of the votes, each garnering roughly 23%. Their running mate Allison James-Frison, who had an unsuccessful run last year, received 22% as of Tuesday evening.

The latest numbers show sweeping victories over the three-member “Newark Kids Forward” slate, which combined, garnered less than a quarter of votes. Thomas Luna and James Wright Jr. each had roughly 8% of the votes, while Tawana Johnson-Emory had just under 7%, according to preliminary results.

Independent candidates Latoya Jackson, a hair salon owner, received less than 4% of votes and Ade’Kamil Kelly, a real estate agent and team leader at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark had just under 3%, according to the Tuesday night’s results.

Historically, voter turnout for the annual school board election has been low. Last year, roughly 3% of registered voters cast their vote. The county reported that just over 3%, or 4,963 Newark voters, participated in this year’s election. County data showed there were 9,578 in-person votes and 3,652 mail-in votes cast as of Tuesday evening.

Candidates discussed their efforts to engage voters in this year’s election and reverse Newark’s history of low voter participation. Garcia and her team visited churches, knocked on doors, handed out flyers, and recruited dozens of volunteers to help bring residents to the polls. With a third run for the board of education member, Garcia, who secured a third term on the board this year, said school board elections are “the hardest and most exhausting” of all races to get parents and the community to participate. She suggested moving the school board race to November.

In 2012, the state legislature passed a law allowing districts to switch their school board elections to the November general election. Until then, all school board elections were held in the spring and voters had a say on school budgets. Now only voters whose districts hold elections in April get to vote on school budget.

James-Frison also said she was shocked by the low turnout despite her slate’s efforts to get residents to vote. She hopes the community will engage in important school issues such as mental health, which she plans to tackle once she takes her seat on the board.

“I’d like to see more resources and services for not just students, but for the teachers and the parents because we all have to work together to make sure everybody’s mental stability is OK,” James-Frison said.

Like other candidates, Luna and his “Newark Kids Forward” slate knocked on doors and walked around neighborhoods to let people know about Tuesday’s election. Luna wasn’t surprised about the low voter turnout given his history of running in Newark’s school board elections but heard about issues with provisional ballots and people being directed to other voting locations the day of.

“Folks at Avon Avenue School, which is a typical voting location, were told it’s moved to Belmont Runyan. And that was like a very unpleasant surprise because nobody had known,” Luna said.

The Essex County election’s office did not respond to comments about Newark voting discrepancies at the time of publishing.

The issues Luna described could’ve helped increase voter turnout but as a two-time school board candidate, he feels there’s more to getting people engaged. He doesn’t think low voter turnout suggests residents don’t care.

“I think, for all of us involved with any of this work that is one of the underlying questions that we have to figure out because democracy does not survive when less than 10% of people are participating in it,” he said.

Those that ran independently also expressed concern over the community’s lack of engagement during the election. Jackson, who owns a hair salon in the West Ward, said it was hard to spread the word about her run for school board as a team of one. The lack of understanding and awareness about Newark’s school policies made it hard to get people in the neighborhood engaged in the election, Jackson said.

But what inspired her to run was her negative experience with her son’s discipline at Central High School and the need to feel heard as a parent and community member. This year’s election inspired her to go back to school and become more educated on civic matters.

“I don’t want to see our community separated. I don’t want to see us fighting each other,” Jackson added. “I want us to be educated and I feel like anything that makes you mad, should make you change something.”

The Newark Board of Education will meet on Thursday, May 11 for its annual reorganization board meeting.

Correction: April 28, 2023: About 3.1% of voters participated in this year’s school board election and roughly 3% of voters participated in the 2022 school board election. A previous version of this story said that just under 3% of Newark voters participated in this year’s election.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Board of Education 2023 election: ‘Moving Newark Schools Forward’ slate leads in early results

2023-04-26T04:27:40+00:00

Newark school board incumbents Hasani Council and Josephine Garcia and their running mate Allison James-Frison appeared headed to victory in Tuesday’s board of education election, with 161 of 172 voting districts reporting.

The three are part of the heavily-backed “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, which has a track record of winning school board elections. Garcia and Council received the bulk of the votes with each garnering roughly 23% of votes. James-Frison, who had an unsuccessful run last year, received 22%, as of 9:49 p.m. on Tuesday.

Newark residents were also poised to approve next school year’s $1.3 billion budget, which includes an additional $114 million in state aid and is slated to help fund more teachers and provide more tutoring for students. Early results showed that nearly 87% of voters were in favor of the 2023-24 budget.

In the school board election, Thomas Luna and James Wright Jr. each had roughly 8% of the votes, as of 9:49 p.m., according to the county’s website, while Tawana Johnson-Emory had just under 7%, according to preliminary results. The three made up the “Newark Kids Forward” slate, which comes from charter school backgrounds. Luna is a science teacher at KIPP Rise Academy and Wright Jr. teaches at North Star Academy Washington Park High School.

Latoya Jackson, a hair salon owner, received less than 4% of votes and Ade’Kamil Kelly, a real estate agent and team leader at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, had just under 3%, according to the preliminary results.

Historically, voter turnout for the annual school board election has been low. Last year, roughly 3% of registered voters cast their vote. The county reported that just over 3% of Newark voters participated in this year’s election.

As of Tuesday evening, 4,963 ballots were cast, according to Essex County data.

During the day on Tuesday, dozens of poll locations across the city were quiet as many sites saw a slow trickle of voters, according to voters and poll workers at various locations in Newark.

In the South Ward, a car with a sign supporting the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate drove down Clinton Avenue while playing the song “We Are Family” and encouraging residents to vote. Teenagers walked down residential streets in the city’s various wards, passing out flyers and showing passersby where they could vote.

At Blessed Sacrament Church in the South Ward, roughly 64 voters had cast ballots as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to numbers posted on the church’s basement wall.

“We think we can vote every four years for president, but people need to know there are other things we need to vote on too,” said Syervillia Sumler, a voter outside Blessed Sacrament Church on Tuesday. “Some don’t even know there’s an election today and then they start complaining about things later on.”

Newark school board members help create policies and make decisions for New Jersey’s largest school district. During this year’s budget presentation, superintendent Roger Leon said Newark Public Schools expects to receive more than 38,000 students next school year across its 62 schools with plans to open at least one new school in the fall in the city’s Central Ward.

Newark nonprofit groups have worked to increase voter turnout this year. Some purchased ad space to advertise the 2023 school board election.

Nonprofit groups such as Project Ready, the Newark Trust for Education, and the Newark branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have worked to increase voter turnout this year. Each group has stressed the importance of participating in the school race by canvassing, hosting voter information events, and candidate debates. They’ve also placed multiple billboards and ads across various neighborhoods throughout the city.

The mayor’s field office on Clinton Avenue was also filled with volunteers helping pass out candidate flyers and election day information.

Ihsan Ali, the president of the Clinton Hill Block Club Coalition, said she was disappointed in Newark’s voter turnout history and believes something needs to be done to address the recurring pattern.

“This is for our babies. If we don’t make a change, no one else will,” Ali said. “We have to take the lead and be responsible for our children.”

Lyndon Brown, a 2022 Newark city council candidate and president of the city’s secondary parents council, said he expected another low-turnout election. He cast his vote at the firehouse in the West Ward and didn’t see many people.

“There have been a couple of debates with the candidates but some people just don’t know about the election or even know who’s running,” Brown said.

Melanie Amore was outside Malcolm X Shabazz High School on Tuesday passing out flyers for the mayor-backed slate of candidates. A lifelong Newark resident who attended the city’s public schools, Amore said she volunteered to post outside the high school starting at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday because she loves her community.

Melanie Amore was outside Malcolm X Shabazz High School on Tuesday passing out flyers to encourage Newark residents to vote in the 2023 school board election.

“It’s been a little slow since this morning and it’s kind of picking up but we’re pushing and making sure we all come in one accord to clean up our community,” Amore said.

Newark joins Cliffside Park, Fairview, Passaic, Totowa, Fredon, Montague, Irvington, North Bergen, Weehawken, West New York, and New Brunswick in holding April school board elections.

“People want the politicians to stick to what they’re saying,” Amore added. “They want better communication and more community outreach.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools plans to install over 7,000 new security cameras districtwide

2023-04-12T10:30:00+00:00

Newark Public Schools plans to install more than 7,000 new security cameras and replace outdated ones as part of an initiative to ensure the continued safety of students and staff, the district said.

The plan was announced during last month’s board of education business meeting, where board members also raised questions about protecting student privacy. District leaders did not provide an estimated cost but said the initiative would be funded through federal COVID relief money after finalizing costs and a vendor to complete the project.

The push to upgrade security cameras in Newark schools dates back to 2021, when the district’s spending plan included $2.4 million to install or upgrade roughly 5,000 security cameras. Districts nationwide have also invested significant portions of their budgets and federal relief funds to upgrade security measures as worries over student safety grow following school shootings in Tennessee and Colorado.

The new camera system will replace the district’s current one and provide more coverage of the city’s public schools. During last month’s meeting, school board administrator Valerie Wilson said the district currently has blind spots in camera coverage. In some cases, she said, cameras can only be accessed by school staff and not by district officials and have limited recording storage.

The district plans to have a new camera system that can record at certain times of the day such as when students or staff are in range or when a car appears in view. Additionally, the system will be set up to work with sensors that can detect the presence of guns, chemicals in vape pens, and the sounds of a gun, glass breaking, or human screams, according to a board operations committee report.

During the business meeting, board Vice President Asia Norton raised concerns over student privacy, specifically the potential risks of system hacks and ensuring restricted access to specific staff.

Wilson said the new system will provide remote access to authorized district and school staff and also have the ability to track and monitor school buses. The security system should also provide higher quality images, a live feed, and artificial intelligence cameras that can be programmed to provide alerts and notifications. They will also help assist law enforcement with investigations as well as prevent any school incidents or intervene in student altercations, according to the operations report.

Details about the project’s estimated cost, systems under consideration, and installation timeline were not provided during the meeting. Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director, did not respond to questions about the project.

Newark, New Jersey’s largest school district, received roughly $287 million through three federal aid packages meant to help schools respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district received approximately $84 million dollars of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, or ESSER II, and $182 million dollars in American Rescue Plan, or ARP, dollars. As of February, the district had spent roughly 74% of its ESSER II funds and 14% of its ARP funds. The majority of district departments are currently using ESSER II funds and have until September 2023 to use those dollars and until September 2024 to use ARP funds.

The district also provided its security guards with training in bag scanners, active shooter response, customer service, uniform inspection, the drug and alcohol policy, and student attendance. Newark also plans to hire more security guards and updated its software to track school incidents.

Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy approved multiple efforts to keep children in schools safe across the state.

In August 2022, New Jersey allocated $6.5 million in ARP funds to have school districts digitize school building maps and make them available to first responders in emergency situations. The maps will include aerial views of school buildings, floor plans, building access points, and utility shut-offs among other information.

About half of all 3,000 public and private schools throughout the state have already created the digital school building blueprints, known as “Collaborative Response Graphics” and created by Hamilton company Critical Response Group. The plan will apply to the 2023-24 school year.

The New Jersey School Board Association’s school security committee also recommends that school districts “periodically review” security plans, bolster security technology, and ensure “unobstructed” communication between school security personnel and emergency responders.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark’s summer school program to focus on learning loss, enrichment

2023-04-28T20:08:34+00:00

With the warmer months fast approaching, Newark is gearing up for summer school and parents can anticipate programs to help students recover academically and prepare for the next school year.

Registration for Newark Public Schools summer school began April 27, and summer school will run from July 5 to Aug. 4. The district released a complete list of programs in its online brochure.

As in past years, the district will hold mandatory summer classes for struggling students, programming for students with disabilities, and optional programs for all students led by community partners at various Newark schools.

This year, Superintendent Roger León said the summer school program will “accelerate” learning and help students recover from the learning loss experienced due to the pandemic.

León also stressed the importance of attending mandatory summer school for those students who may be at risk of falling behind. The extra instruction is intended to help to fill academic gaps, reinforce skills, and better prepare students for the next school year, the district said.

Mandatory summer school is usually based on attendance, grades, and student achievement on assessments, as well as recommendations of staff and parents, according to Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director.

The district will monitor the progress of students this summer and create an impact study during the summer or by the start of next school year.

Last year, over 10,000 students attended the district’s summer school; there are roughly 38,000 students enrolled this year. Newark held programs at 15 elementary school sites where students received academic instruction from the morning until noon and activities until 3 p.m. such as dance and swimming, with several community based partners.

The district also offered a STEM Academy and a Summer Visual and Performing Arts Academy. And some students participated in field trips to Turtle Back Zoo, the Liberty Science Center, and the Newark Museum.

What families can expect this summer

Not all school sites will be open for summer school, but the district plans on opening more sites than last year throughout the city so parents can limit the amount of travel for their children. Students can report to the school closest to their home this summer, León said.

During the day, students will receive breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and lunch at noon. Academic instruction will take place between 9 a.m. to noon. Students interested in participating in extra activities will be able to do so between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. with an option for an extended day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Extended School Year program will also be available this year for students with disabilities. Students in this program require services beyond the traditional school year — as per their Individual Education Plan — and will receive academic and behavioral support in the morning.

High school students interested in participating in the summer credit recovery program will be provided with more information at their school.

This year, incoming ninth grade students can participate in the summer bridge program to help middle school students transition into high school.

Students interested in participating in summer programs must register before May 15.

León says teachers are critical to summer success

Newark is currently accepting staff applications for teachers interested in working summer school and soliciting applications for community organizations looking to host afternoon activities for students.

The “attendance of teachers is critical” to student participation in summer programs, León said.

Teachers will work between 8:30 a.m and 12:30 p.m. and community partners between noon and 6 p.m.

“We are creating all the programs and we need as many people who feel they can help to join us,” León added.

Transportation options are available to students

Some students may be eligible for transportation based on the distance between their home and summer school site.

Students eligible for transportation will receive confirmation of the shuttle pick up and drop off locations with their “Enrollment Confirmation Letter,” according to the district.

Extended School Year students will receive transportation as outlined in their Individual Education Plans. The Office of Special Education will work with families to set up specific transportation arrangements.

Last year, transportation was not provided for the Extended Day Program that runs until 6 p.m. Families were responsible for arranging student pick-up from this program.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New Jersey Board of Education continues to deliberate lower high school exit exam passing score

2023-04-06T10:30:00+00:00

New Jersey officials continue to weigh changes to the state’s high school exit exam roughly a month after students took the test as a graduation requirement for the first time in recent years.

The State Board of Education is considering a resolution to lower the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment passing score to 725 following an analysis of the spring 2022 test, which was taken by high school juniors as a trial run.

Currently, New Jersey students must get a 750 or higher in the English language arts and math portions of the test. High school juniors must pass the test to earn a high school diploma.

The New Jersey Department of Education presented an analysis of last year’s results on Wednesday and recommended the board lower the passing score. But some board members fear lowering state standards could result in students who are not college ready.

The board did not vote on the resolution, which would have gone into effect in early May and applied to the class of 2024 and 2025 and would likely have allowed more students to meet graduation requirements next school year.

The recommendations proposed Wednesday would also make it easier for students to pass the exam amid years of disruption and learning loss caused by COVID, as well as mental health challenges among school-age children. That could ultimately help boost the state’s graduation rate, which has remained relatively stable over the last five years despite the pandemic’s effects and suspension of graduation assessment requirements.

The state had a 90.9% four-year graduation rate for the class of 2022, according to state data presented on Wednesday.

In March, high school juniors took the exit exam as a graduation requirement for the first time in four years. The pandemic forced Gov. Phil Murphy to suspend the test in 2020 and 2021 along with other state standardized exams. Murphy also waived the requirement for the class of 2023 but reinstated it for the class of 2024 and 2025.

Of the high school juniors that took the trial run version of the exit exam last spring, only 39% passed the English language arts portion, while 50% passed math, according to state data. If the passing score had been lowered to 725 last spring, 57% of students would have passed math while 81% would have passed English language arts, according to data presented on Wednesday.

According to the Department’s Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan, getting a 725 on the test is “just the right standard” while a 750 is “a more determined opportunity to further highlight what we want our students to know and do.” She also said the department had a responsibility to share “the adverse impacts” they believe keeping the score at 750 could have on students.

During Wednesday’s presentation, the department said its data found that a 750 passing score had an emotional effect on some students, especially students who have never missed a testing mark previously. It also limits the number of elective courses a student could participate in, since some might have to take a class senior year to prepare to retake the exit exam or an alternative test. Districts could also face additional burdens in paperwork and appeals to ensure students participate in graduation activities, the department added.

As board members weighed their options, some hinted at the redundancy in their discussion as it mirrored similar concerns raised during last year’s conversation on the topic.

Board member Elaine Bobrove said the board was “back to apples and oranges” in considering the differences between getting a 725 and a 750 on the test. Board member Nedd Johnson pointed to the department’s analysis and its expert opinion to lower the passing score.

“It’s pretty clear, from what I see, that the recommendation to the [passing] score going to 725 is based on the significant impact on student performance,” Johnson said.

Some members also called on the legislature to eliminate the exam altogether. Currently, New Jersey is one of nine states that requires a high school exit exam — that figure includes the state’s resumption of the requirement for the class of 2024. However, many states have ended exit test mandates in recent years due to concerns including unfair burdens they impose on some students and their effectiveness in determining college and career readiness.

Lawmakers are also considering a bill to eliminate the test requirement altogether. Last month, the assembly’s education committee unanimously approved Assembly Bill 4639, which would eliminate the exam as a requirement for New Jersey high schoolers. The bill is currently in the assembly’s community development and affairs committee.

“What we’re doing here is a fallacy,” said board member Ron Butcher. “We need to as a board go on the record recommending we get this removed.”

The board’s vice president, Andrew Mulvihill, disagreed and asked the board to consider the impact of “lowering the standards” in reaction to the learning loss experienced by students during the pandemic.

“I don’t think we should lower standards in reaction to COVID. I’m concerned about the approach we seem to be taking,” Mulvihill said. “I think our job is to say, what does a diploma in New Jersey mean and how do we know when kids are college and career ready?”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

‘Girls know what they want’: New Jersey girls expand programming to support local youth

2023-04-04T10:30:00+00:00

Growing up in Ecuador, Karen Otavalo struggled to stay motivated in a country where opportunities did not come as easy for girls.

Otavalo paid attention in class, did her homework, and got good grades – the usual things students do to get ahead in school. But Otavalo, now a sophomore and a participant in Chalkbeat’s Student Voices Fellowship program, couldn’t help but feel something was missing from her education.

She wasn’t getting hands-on experience and opportunities to practice what she was learning, making her feel ill-prepared for her future.

Otavalo’s opportunities expanded when her family moved to the U.S. in 2018. Now, she is helping give other New Jersey girls the opportunities once out of reach for her.

She is one of 10 high school and college girls from New Jersey chosen to participate in a program designed to develop girls’ leadership skills. The New Jersey Justice Collaborative for Girls is a state-funded leadership and advocacy program that empowers young women to be leaders and is fueling Otavalo’s dreams to help vulnerable communities in the future.

After moving to the U.S., Otavalo and her family ultimately ended up in Newark, where she struggled to learn English and adapt to the culture. Despite the language barrier and a pandemic that disrupted her high school experience, Otavalo moved out of Newark’s English Language Learners program and to Science Park High School where, she says, her opportunities have been endless.

The N.J. Justice Collaborative for Girls, with funding from the state’s division on women, hired the 10 high school and college students, who also form part of a youth advisory board responsible to research, review, and analyze grant applications from nonprofit organizations looking to empower New Jersey youth through activities, programming, and outreach. Through the funding, the collaborative pays each girl $35 an hour for their work.

Under the guidance of the collaborative’s senior director, Aysha Khan, the girls were tasked with selecting three organizations, one in each geographical region in New Jersey, for a $30,000 grant to help expand leadership and advocacy opportunities for girls in the state.

It was important to have young women like Otavalo make these decisions, Khan said.

“Girls know what they want. They know the roadmap for what it takes for them to thrive,” Khan added. “It’s on us as adults in this space to take a step back and facilitate and organize a space for them to use their voice.”

The work started last summer when the collaborative first convened to receive training before delving into the applications. Each girl in the group was paired with a mentor, who helped guide them through the grant selection process and develop their passions or work on their self-esteem as they got to know each other.

The girls vetted grant applications from 10 organizations and dived into everything from their financial stability to their letters of recommendation and their plan to create empowerment programs for young girls. By September, the group had chosen the organizations.

Funding for this grant started with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Rape Prevention Education grant funds and was given to the N.J. Division on Women’s Rape Prevention Education program. The division then chose the collaborative to hire and organize the statewide group of teens to make the final decision on which nonprofits would get the grants.

As youth experts, the group also shared what they thought organizations should focus on. The discussions led the young teens to share their struggles and relate to similar experiences of marginalized girls in New Jersey and beyond the face. Some girls shared their feelings of being patronized and dismissed when they talked to school administrators and another mentioned holding back her opinions when adults were in the room, according to the collaborative.

“I felt very professional because before I was just learning from a PowerPoint presentation or a book and I felt like I wasn’t doing anything,” Otavalo said. “Like being actually involved in the choice of which organizations will be best for our community is really the outstanding experience that I got from this.”

Now, the girls are working on creating an evaluation component to analyze the long-term impact of the programs they funded. Most recently, Otavalo and her team presented their work at NGO Committee on the Status of Women forum, an annual symposium for nonprofits that runs parallel to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference.

Although the program ends in December, Otavalo said the work she’s done so far inspired her to start her own youth leadership club at her high school. Her club will focus on an advocacy project every month starting with a clothing drive in April.

The young teen feels her opportunities have grown since moving to Newark and is looking forward to pursuing a career in humanities or international relations as a result of her work through the program.

“It was very eye-opening,” Otavalo said. “I’ve never been in a program like that before.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board approves $1.3 billion budget with increases for teaching positions, ed-tech

2023-03-31T10:30:00+00:00

The Newark Board of Education approved a $1.3 billion 2023-24 budget on Wednesday that includes an increase in funding to expand teaching positions, as well as an increase in payments to charter schools.

The spending plan for Newark Public Schools also includes increased transportation spending, adding an additional grade level to schools, a prekindergarten expansion in several schools, and more funding for students with disabilities and English language learners.

Residents will be able to vote on the budget in approximately four weeks during this year’s school board election on April 25.

The budget is designed to support Superintendent Roger León’s 10-year plan, which is known as “The Next Decade” and is in its third year. The district said it expects to receive more than 38,000 students next school year across its 62 schools. León said they plan to use funds to “aggressively” tackle learning loss driven by the pandemic by continuing to support programs such as tutoring.

The budget also includes funding for the district to provide new Chromebooks for certain grades and renovations to classrooms and other parts of school facilities.

In the budget, roughly 86% of the district’s funding next year would come from a projected $1.2 billion in state aid included in Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget proposal released earlier this month. That represents an additional $114 million in state aid, or an increase of about 11%, from last year. State lawmakers have until June 30 to approve the governor’s budget.

The district’s budget is supplemented by $138.3 million from local property taxes, which remains the same for the third year in a row. It also includes an extra $44 million in combined revenue from the district’s excess fund balance of $33.9 million, as well as separate federal and local revenue of $10.1 million anticipated for the upcoming school year.

Despite the increase in state aid, Newark remains $27.7 million short of the budget recommended by the formula in New Jersey’s School Funding Reform Act, said Valerie Wilson, the district’s school business administrator. Regardless, Newark taxpayers will see no increase on their property taxes for the third year in a row under the 2023-24 budget, but Wilson warned that will be an exception rather than the norm moving forward.

The district has until October 2024 to use up its remaining federal COVID relief, which the district has used on technology, teaching and learning, security, and to improve aging facilities. Board member Vereliz Santana called the federal funding a “once in a generation” opportunity that has helped Newark schools improve and recover from funding deficiencies experienced when the district was under state control.

Budget prioritizes tutoring and technology

District leaders said they will continue working on bringing students up to speed following the pandemic and are placing extra emphasis on high-dosage tutoring — or one-to-one tutoring at least three times a week — next school year.

León said he expects to see more students attending tutoring (after and before school) in the next school year.

“High dosage tutoring is extremely important towards accomplishing the goals of all of the deficiencies that students may have because of the learning that they have lost,” León said.

The budget includes León’s plans to spend an extra $1 million to expand pre-K at 11 elementary schools, and another $3.2 million to increase the number of grade levels in eight schools.

León also said his team plans to allocate funds for wraparound services for students in pre-K to grade 3 and provide more summer school programming for middle school students and eighth graders transitioning into high school.

Students in kindergarten, fifth, and ninth grade will be issued new Chromebooks next school year as part of the district’s continuation of a one-to-one Chromebook initiative for all students.

Newark hiring more aides for students with autism

The budget’s largest spending category is $470.8 million set aside for salaries, including the hiring of new teachers, aides, and support staff.

Newark expects to open 220 additional instructional positions next school year consisting of 141 new teachers over last year’s plan. The positions include the addition of 46 aides to help with its autistic students (as Newark experiences a spike in autism cases), an extra five positions for administrative positions, and another 28 for school support.

In total, the district is budgeting for 3,084 teacher positions, 315 positions for aides, 377 administrative positions, and 782 positions for school support.

At the start of this school year, the district welcomed 600 new teachers, but from May to October of last year, 325 employees resigned, according to data from the Newark Teachers Union.

The budget includes $154.2 million to cover increased health benefits. It also includes $870,000 for travel expenses and $17.4 million for professional development, the maximum allowed expenditures for these categories.

Charter payments to rise by over $11 million

Charter school payments make up the district’s second largest expenditure at $353.8 million, an $11.8 million increase from last year.

The state approved the expansion of two Newark charter schools this year allowing the schools to increase enrollment at their campuses by a combined 532 seats.

According to state estimates, the district should budget for $384 million in charter aid. But Newark schools “feels confident” the budgeted amount will cover charter expenses, Wilson said. If costs rise, the district could face an additional $30 million in cuts to the budget, Wilson added.

In August, the board of education spent just over $7 million on a contract with 20 transportation companies to service 126 routes to schools. In January, the district launched a monthly bus pass for its high school students.

Newark focusing on renovations, English learners

Newark will open the Nelson Mandela Elementary School this fall, which will be located at the former University Heights charter school location, and will enroll students in pre-K-4 grade in its first year. The new school is part of the district’s broader plan to open more schools and expand others.

In addition to that new school, the district plans to upgrade its schools, purchase new classroom furniture, and begin renovations in buildings, cafeterias and other school areas by committing an extra $26 million this year for the work.

Another $9 million this year is set aside for facilities initiatives such as renovations for the pool at the Chancellor Avenue annex, across the street from Weequahic High School and the West Side High School Greenhouse.

Additionally, the district continues to work on installing contactless water fountains across all its schools. Last October, the district approved a $5 million contract to install them district-wide.

Roughly 20% of Newark students have disabilities and require additional support such as in-classroom aides and speech therapy services.

The district projects students with disabilities will continue to grow in the district, and are allocating an extra $1.9 million to hire 30 special education teachers. An additional $1.5 is set aside to hire 46 full time employees to support these students.

English language learners make up 25% of the district’s total population and are expected to grow as the city’s demographics change over time. The district is committing an extra $2.2 million to hire 36 bilingual teachers, and an additional $1.6 million to hire 26 ESL teachers.

Additionally, León is launching a newcomers next school year to provide students personalized support to learn and grow within the district and community.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Teachers Union sues district over requests for convocation video, employee bonus pay

2023-03-24T10:30:00+00:00

The Newark Teachers Union is suing the district in an effort to force officials to produce video of this year’s convocation and information on bonus payments made to faculty and staff or prove that the records do not exist.

The teachers union has been advocating since last fall for Newark’s per diem staff — employees who work as needed for the school district — and say they were left out of a $1,000 “Let’s Go to Work” bonus payment given to full-time staff this school year. The district and union have been at odds on why per diems were excluded.

After union leaders filed a request for bonus pay records, the district provided the documents but blacked out the names and payment amounts to eligible employees. Union leaders hope the lawsuit forces the district to release a full list of bonus payouts, with names and amounts, and a video or PowerPoint presentation of this year’s convocation, or to prove that those records do not exist.

“The NTU is interested in researching how the program operates and why some, but not other faculty received the payments,” read the lawsuit filed last month in Superior Court in Essex County.

In an effort to understand the “design and implementation” of the program, the teachers union filed two requests for information about bonus pay records in December and January before filing the lawsuit against the Newark Board of Education in February.

Superintendent Roger León first announced the “Let’s Go to Work” bonus during the annual convocation held at the end of August last year where he thanked staff for their work and their “commitment to excellence during these most unusual times,” according to a district press release. After realizing that per diem employees would be excluded, union members showed up at the December board meeting to protest the exclusion but board president Dawn Haynes argued that the union did not negotiate the payment for per diem employees.

Union leaders disputed the claim, saying it wasn’t a part of their contract negotiations last spring but rather an incentive from León. In an email to Chalkbeat Newark in December, district spokesperson Nancy Deering said the “Let’s Go To Work” payment was a “retention strategy for full-time employees.”

The union and its employees continue to claim that the district’s per diem staff worked during the pandemic and are deserving of the extra pay.

Mike Maillaro, the union’s director of research and communication, filed the first request after the December board meeting for “video of the district-wide convocation from August 30, 2022” and a list of “any and all recipients of ‘Let’s go to work’ grants or payments for the 2022-23 school year with the titles of Chief of Staff, Assistant Superintendents, Special Assistants, Directors, Supervisors, or equivalent titles,” the lawsuit read.

The district responded by saying they did not have a video of the two-hour August convocation and provided an 88-page document of pages that were “almost entirely” blacked-out, except to show the titles of employees who apparently received the pay, according to the lawsuit.

In January, the union filed a second request for records, this time seeking PowerPoint documents, notes, or transcripts of León’s “Let’s Go to Work” presentation at the convocation. The district denied the request and said the records did not exist, the lawsuit alleges.

The Newark Teachers Union has roughly 2,000 per diem classroom aides and teachers who are members. Newark schools were closed from April 2020 until September 2021, prompting concern about returning to in-person learning among parents, students, and teachers who were at risk of being exposed to the virus during that time. The district was forced to shut down schools again as COVID cases surged in December of that year.

The district and teachers union have a scheduled court hearing on April 13.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark candidates seek three school board seats in New Jersey’s largest school system

2023-03-17T10:30:00+00:00

Newark voters will choose from a list of new and returning candidates when they cast their ballots April 25 in this year’s school board election.

Eight candidates are vying for three seats on the nine-member Newark Board of Education. Two board members are running for reelection along with two returning candidates and four newcomers. Newark residents will also vote on next school year’s budget, which is set for a public hearing at the end of the month.

Incumbents Josephine Garcia and Hasani Council are running for reelection with last year’s candidate, Allison James-Frison, on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate. Historically, the slate has garnered support from state and local politicians, including Mayor Ras Baraka and state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz.

Thomas Luna is also running again and is joined by newcomers Tawana Johnson-Emory and James Wright Jr. on the “Newark Kids Forward” slate, a team of local parents and teachers. First-time candidates Latoya Jackson and Ade’Kamil Kelly are also running.

The three winning candidates will serve three-year terms.

Annual school board election voter turnout has been low for years, hovering around 3%-4% of registered voters. Nonprofit groups like Project Ready have started work to increase Newark voter turnout and stressed the importance of participating in the school race, three years after the board voted to regain local control of its school system.

Board members will make important decisions about policies to address learning loss in the district as well as mental health challenges among young people. They also will have to address the needs of students with disabilities as autism cases spike in the city and the growing number of English language learners in New Jersey’s largest school district. School board members also meet with district officials in monthly committee discussions on programs and instruction, personnel, policy, and finance, among other topics. The board also picks and holds the superintendent accountable.

Garcia was elected in 2017 and is one of the longest-serving board members. Council joined the board in 2020. James-Frison ran last year and is the founder of the Girls; Live, Love, Laugh organization that provides educational opportunities for Newark’s girls.

Garcia, Council, James-Frison, and Jackson did not respond to questions on their candidacies.

Luna also ran in last year’s school race and is a science teacher, and community organizer. His slate consists of newcomers Wright, a Newark teacher, and Johnson-Emory, a parent. In an email, the slate candidates called themselves “the only grass-roots team” and “the only team funded by people.”

“The Newark Kids Forward team is running because now, more than ever, kids and families deserve independent champions, not political loyalists, who will fight for them daily,” wrote Luna in an email on behalf of his slate. “We bring a community-built vision of what education can and should be for everyone.”

Kelly, a real estate agent and team leader at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, is running for a seat on the board for the first time. He said he is tired of the lack of accountability in the district and has spoken at multiple board meetings about issues such as speeding near schools and problems with the Newark School for Architecture and Interior Design.

“We have a $1.2 billion budget. You can’t play with that,” Kelly said. “When I look at the services and what our students are getting and what our schools are like, it doesn’t reflect that. We deserve better, we deserve accountability, we deserve leadership.”

Newark residents will also vote on the district’s 2023-24 school year budget set for a public hearing on March 29. The budget was $1.2 billion for the 2022-23 school year and included $138.3 million from the local tax levy. The district received roughly $1 billion in state aid. Last month, the district said the tax levy would remain the same this year.

Newark residents can vote in person April 25 at their designated polling location or by mail.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

This Newark high school teacher found the secret to teaching lies in empathy and compassion

2023-03-16T20:30:50+00:00

As a young girl living in Guyana, Nubia Lumumba used to recruit kids in her neighborhood for her makeshift school in her backyard.

For the past eight years, she has had a classroom of her own, and the Newark educator brings to it a deep level of empathy and compassion for her students.

“I try to find time to have meaningful one-on-one conversations with students about their dreams and struggles so that I can connect with them on a personal level and offer them support and encouragement,” said Lumumba, who, until resigning this month, taught high school English at Newark School of Global Studies.

She spoke recently with Chalkbeat about supporting her students who have faced racist harassment, advocating for a more welcoming learning environment, and inspiring the next generation of young leaders to live authentically and unapologetically.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I knew that I wanted to become a teacher when I was in elementary school. I was fascinated with discovery and learning, and I wanted others to get the same thrill I got from learning new things. When summer rolled around and we were on break, I would summon a few kids in my neighborhood to come to my makeshift school in my backyard. I remember collecting the discarded pieces of white chalk that had become two stubby for my teachers to grasp, and using these bits to write out vocabulary words that I wanted my “students” to practice spelling and using in a sentence.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

I love teaching students how to offer analysis on something that we have read or viewed. A single lesson on analysis allows students to practice multiple skills. They are required to read closely, draw inferences by synthesizing background knowledge with new information, and effectively communicate nuanced ideas in written or verbal form. Analyzing is an essential skill that many students struggle with, even at the college level.

I usually introduce this skill by having them examine a complex image where multiple meanings can be explored. At first, students are concerned about being right or wrong when they offer analysis, and I have to explain to them that it’s not about being right or wrong, but how well they can support their ideas with evidence and reasoning. With some practice, students are then able to apply what they learn about analyzing images to actual text.

What’s something happening in the community that affects what goes on inside your classroom?

The division between Black and Brown people and weariness about the “other” within the community has had a direct impact on our school and has seeped into my classroom. Division amongst Black and Brown people serves no purpose but to uphold white supremacy.

For at least two years, Black students at my school have complained about being bullied by non-Black peers. Black students have been called all types of racial slurs, and their complaints were dismissed by adults who have a legal and moral responsibility to protect all children regardless of their skin color. I was sad to see some of my Black students transfer out of the school because they didn’t feel safe and valued. All students and staff should be made to feel safe, protected, and welcomed in the school that they attend/serve.

How do you approach news events in your classroom?

I think that it is critical to incorporate news events in the classroom as part of students’ overall learning because a well-informed citizenry will likely uphold democracy and support social justice efforts. Sometimes the news events we discuss in the classroom can be as heavy as politics or as trivial as which team should have won the 2022 World Cup, Argentina or France? Most of my students felt that the French team should have won. Over the course of four weeks, their focus was intently set on who would claim the golden trophy, and I practically had to pry their phones away from them. Allowing students to discuss topics that are of great interest to them, such as the World Cup, enables them to practice essential skills such as analyzing information, evaluating evidence, and constructing arguments.

Other times, the news event can be something that may not spark deep discussion but allows students to see concrete examples of how skills and concepts that they learn in my English class are applied in the real world. For example, when Queen Elizabeth passed, the Washington Post published an article about her in which I found a particularly beautiful example of figurative language that I wanted my students to identify: “The queen spent the autumn of her life coming to terms with family scandals but also with a media hunger for them unknown when she was a young queen.” Students were able to identify the metaphor in this excerpt and discussed how the effective use of figurative language can enhance one’s writing and captivate the reader.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

Growing up in a developing country, we had limited resources to aid us in our learning. Our schools were run in a militaristic manner, our lessons were teacher-centered, and we were seldom given opportunities to have discussions with our peers during class and to collaborate with them.

Now that I have been blessed with the opportunity to become a teacher, I try to implement the good that I have learnt from my own experience with school, because it wasn’t all bad, and what I know are best practices for teaching in a modern classroom. I incorporate learning aids into my lessons that will suit the various learning styles and needs of my students. I employ a more democratic style of teaching and learning where students get to be part of the decision-making process as it pertains to classroom rules, assignment choices, deadlines, and whom they wish to collaborate with.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The best advice that I have received was from one of my education professors at Montclair State University, Dr. Vincent Walencik, and from my former co-teacher, Alfredo Montas. The first day that I had classes with Walencik, he said that the secret to good teaching was that you had to, “Get the kids here,” at which point he touched his heart, “before you can get them here,” and then he touched his head. From that bit of advice, I garnered that I needed to establish a sound rapport with each of my students in order to motivate them to learn.

Montas’ advice fit perfectly with my professor’s because he told me to, “just be yourself with the kids, and they’ll love you.” I try to put these two pieces of advice into practice by allowing students to see me as my authentic self, not just the poised professional that I can be. My students get to see me in all my goofy glory when I tell corny English jokes, execute terrible versions of the latest TikTok dance craze that my students are so fond of, and on a really good day, I may even give students a sneak peek of my rap game. Most students respond well to me trying to cultivate a good student-teacher relationship; however, there are always a few who remain reserved. In this case, I do not force a deeper connection, but I ensure that all students are aware that I am there for them whenever they need me.

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

I can’t recall exactly when and where I read this, but learning that all children come to school wearing an “invisible backpack.” The premise is that childhood trauma affects students’ ability to come to the classroom prepared to learn. Their thoughts and emotions surrounding the difficulties they face in their personal lives cannot be turned off like a light switch once they enter the classroom. We, educators, have to understand this and be responsive to our students’ needs whether they choose to share their specific struggles with us or not.

Consequently, I have developed a deeper level of empathy and compassion for my students. I have learnt to listen more actively to my students instead of rushing to offer them strategies on how to solve their problems. The “invisible backpack” that our students carry are often heavy and overflowing; it is our job as educators to lighten the load for them in whatever manner we can. Moreover, I encourage autonomy in my students so that they can develop strategies of their own to cope with the issues they are having. I assure them that I am willing to support them as much as I possibly can.

How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

I especially love doing outdoor activities, which gives me a chance to channel the healing properties of nature. I engage in bike riding every so often and depending on the time of year, I’ll go for a hike after work and especially on the weekends. I am actually certified to lead hikes with the Appalachian Mountain Club, and I have been leading adult and youth hikes since 2017 with a local group named HIKEOLUTION, which was founded by my friend, Keyana Jones. Some of the things I do at home to take care of myself are trying new vegetarian recipes, reading various genres of literature, and binge-watching apocalypse shows and movies. Lastly, my children and I have three cats, and we find great joy in playing with them which is very therapeutic after a long stressful day. As naughty as they are, those cats always manage to put a smile on our faces.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

New Jersey students take high school exit exam amid concerns about passing score, usefulness

2023-03-15T18:50:15+00:00

For the first time in four years, thousands of New Jersey students will take the state’s high school exit exam this week as a graduation requirement.

The testing comes as some states roll back the mandate and concerns persist about the test’s usefulness and ability to measure college readiness.

From 1979 until 2020, the state administered some version of the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment. But in 2020 and 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy suspended the exit test, which is given to high school juniors, along with other state standardized exams, due to the pandemic.

Last March, high school juniors took a trial run version of the exit exam after Murphy also waived the requirement for the Class of 2023 due to the pandemic. The state reinstated the requirement for the Class of 2024 and the Class of 2025. Shortly before students took that test, the state board of education raised the passing score for those students from 725 to 750, although the board also said it would revisit that score after reviewing results from the 2022 trial run.

On that draft version of the exam students took last spring, 39% passed the English Language Arts portion, while 50% passed Math in New Jersey, according to state data. Those results came after years of disruption and learning loss caused by COVID, as well as acute mental health challenges among school-age children.

Those results, along with the fact that the state so far hasn’t revised the passing scores for this year’s exam, have led to some pushback in New Jersey, which is one of nine states that requires a high school exit exam (that figure includes New Jersey’s resumption of the requirement for the Class of 2024). However, many states have ended their exit test mandates in recent years, due to concerns about unfair burdens they impose on some students, among other worries.

“Implementing a new, harder exit test in the middle of a pandemic, and a pervasive mental health crisis among young people, is unbelievably bad policy,” said Stan Karp, director of the Secondary Reform Project for the Education Law Center, a New Jersey advocacy group. “It’s tone deaf and harmful to students.

This month, Karp and his team sent a letter to the state’s department of education urging for a review of the passing score. They also called the test “high-stakes” for high school students who may have met other graduation requirements, but struggle with standardized assessments.

The Education Law Center estimates that the higher passing score of 750, instead of the 725 recommended by the department, reduced passing rates by 15% to 20% on each section of the test.

“The validity of the passing score is a matter of significant public consequence. The results of last year’s NJGPA administration emphasize those consequences,” the group wrote.

The state education department had not responded to Chalkbeat’s request for comment about the Education Law Center’s letter at the time of publishing.

Karp and his team have also questioned the usefulness of the test since it is not required by federal mandates, he said. They have questioned its capability to accurately capture “graduation-level competencies” for high school students who already take a slew of state standardized tests and other exams that measure student performance over the course of several years.

For those reasons, Karp and his team are supporting the bipartisan Assembly Bill 4639, which would eliminate the exam as a requirement for New Jersey high schoolers. The bill is currently in the assembly’s education committee and is up for a vote this week.

“The [NJGPA] does not provide any useful information to teachers or schools. The results arrive at the start of a student’s last year in high school, far too late to have any positive impact on educational programs,” Karp said.

Newark juniors feel nervous about the exit test

Starting in December, Newark Public Schools required all juniors to attend a Saturday class to prepare for the exam this week. On average, Newark students scored 706 for the English Language Arts portion and 726 for math on the trial exit exam last year — 44 points below the passing score for English and 24 points below the score for math.

Yamia Bermudez, a junior at University High School, said she attended two Saturday sessions and found them “somewhat helpful” in preparing her for the exit test. During the sessions, students worked on a mock test and reviewed questions as a group in order to get a feel for what they could expect, Bermudez said.

But after taking the first two sections of the English portion of the test this week, Bermudez said the reading passages were boring and the questions confusing.

“When it was over, everybody was like: That was so confusing, it was so long, like what were they talking about?” said Bermudez about her peers who shared their thoughts after testing on Monday.

This year, the exam is broken down into three, 90-minute sections for English and Language Arts and two 90-minute sections for math. The test is computer-based, and students answer questions on their Chromebooks. Results will be available before the end of the school year in June, according to the district’s letter to parents.

Bermudez said she feels nervous about her performance on the test so far, but knows she can take an alternative test if she doesn’t pass.

The state offers a long list of substitute assessments for students who do not pass, such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the SAT, and ACT, among others.

Ultimately, Bermudez said she is confident in the skills she’s learned but could do without another timed test.

“When it comes to tests, I get stressed, I always overthink, and I end up doing worse than I would have had I just taken the time to calm down,” she said. “But for a state test, you don’t really have time to calm yourself down, you have 90 or 60 minutes to get it done.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark charter shut down by the state to reopen as an elementary school

2023-03-09T20:51:55+00:00

Newark Public Schools is seeking to reopen a building that used to house a charter school that was shut down by the state nearly nine months ago.

University Heights Charter School, a network of three charter schools, closed last June after struggling to improve student test scores, increase enrollment, and retain its leadership team across its schools, according to a letter from the state’s department of education. The district now plans to use the facility for an elementary school.

In February, the Newark Board of Education approved a resolution to acquire the four-story property at 66-78 Morris Avenue in the city’s Central Ward. The building is the location of the former charter network’s elementary school, which had a troubled history before the state revoked its charter, a move that created disruptions for its students and families.

Newark schools proposes to use the .73-acre property as a pre-K-8 school and a maximum enrollment of 275 students, according to the board’s resolution. The building and land are valued at roughly $6.6 million, according to property records. The new property is part of the school district’s five-year capital plan.

The district’s acting communications director, Nancy Deering, did not respond to questions about the district’s plan for the new school.

University Heights opened in 2006 with just over 900 students through the support of Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church. A pre-K-8 school located between Hartford and New Streets, the 34,000 square foot property was home to roughly 600 Newark students before shutting down last year.

The state department of education officially revoked University Heights’ charter on June 30, 2022. It sent the charter network its decision in a letter dated June 1, citing low academic performance and leadership changes from previous years.

Before the school’s closure in June, teachers and students protested the closure by walking through the neighborhoods of their Newark school. The New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association also argued the closure, saying the state’s “late notification” of its decision left families scrambling to find a new school for their children last summer and worrying about additional expenses like summer school and new uniforms.

Newark Public Schools reopened the enrollment window for families of University Heights students, but many said their preferred choices were already full. The charter network was set to start summer school on July 6. Roughly 400 families had already signed up for the free program.

University Heights administrators blamed previous school leaders for the pre-pandemic low test scores that factored into the state’s decision to shut down the charter network. During the 2018-2019 school year, the charter school’s test scores ranked among the bottom 5% of high-poverty schools in the state, leading the state to designate it as a low-performing school.

In 2019, the school was put on probation after the state found issues with improving its student academic performance, declining enrollment, and frequent leadership changes.

The charter network included its elementary school, located on 74 Hartford Street, its lower school, also on Hartford Street, and Junior High School, on Fulton and Broad Streets.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Racist slurs, parent pleas: Emails reveal long battle to address harassment at Newark’s Global Studies

2023-03-08T19:13:10+00:00

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education in communities across America. Sign up for our free Newark newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.

Students from the Newark School of Global Studies endured months of racial harassment and abuse before they pleaded for help to the school board in November.

One student described being called a “smart chimpanzee” in his English class. Another told board members how he and his friends have been called “the n-word, a monkey, a slave, a caricature.”

Board members listened intently to students describe microaggressions and racial slurs, and Superintendent Roger León promised students he would fix the problems. But this was not the first time some board members and León had heard about the racial tensions at the school.

Emails obtained by Chalkbeat Newark show that school and district leaders had known about the issues since at least May of last year. Early last fall, emails show, a parent repeatedly reached out to León, principal Nelson Ruiz, vice principal Hoda Abdelwahab, and other school leaders begging for an end to the ongoing harassment and demanding stronger consequences for students who used derogatory language.

Even since that November meeting, some students said they were called racial slurs in the hallway and heard other students make jokes about blackface and lynchings. Most recently, a student did not face any consequences after threatening to “rip off and step on” the hijab of two teachers in January, according to an interview with teachers.

Several students transferred mid-year, including the Black Student Union president and the daughter of school board president Dawn Haynes, and at least one teacher resigned. Some students have also reported having issues getting their transfers approved and battling with guidance counselors for transcripts in January.

The district’s spokesperson, Nancy Deering, Ruiz, and Abdelwahab did not respond to emailed questions about the transfers and issues at Global Studies.

The district launched a corrective action plan at the school, but details about the plan have not been shared with the public despite multiple emails for information from Chalkbeat Newark.

The situation also garnered attention from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who met with students in December and is hosting a town hall event on March 8 to discuss unity among Black and brown communities.

Although district and school leaders met on several occasions in recent months, students, staff, and parents grew increasingly frustrated at what seemed to be an initial lack of response or sense of urgency, with at least one parent calling for the removal of Ruiz.

The problems at Global Studies — and the way school and district leaders handled the situation — reveal shortcomings in how Newark handled this racial harassment and how that affected the emotional well-being of students.

“Can you imagine,” one parent wrote in an Oct. 30, 2022 email to León, board member A’dorian Murray-Thomas, and the district’s student life office, “walking into a classroom or school feeling ostracized or made to feel less than because of the color of your skin?”

Incidents of racist harassment fester

Three years ago, Global Studies welcomed its first freshman class of 114 ninth graders, promising students a global perspective and a chance to study different cultures. But last year, racial tensions at the campus, where 70% of students are Latino and 26% are Black, began to surface.

In May, Haynes’ daughter — a Black and Muslim student — was called a terrorist and the “n-word” in the hallway, according to interviews with students and teachers at the high school.

The student accused of using the racial slur was suspended for three days, according to a May 25, 2022 email from the parent of the student. The parent, whose name is redacted in the email, had asked Ruiz for another meeting to “clarify this whole situation.”

“I honestly don’t think that it’s fair for my son to be suspended 3 days and skip class for an allegation that might not be true,” the email read. “And it’s her word against his.”

Haynes’ daughter, a “super honor roll” student and the former student body secretary, did not feel comfortable continuing her education at the school and transferred out, Haynes told Chalkbeat in December.

Racial tensions on campus continued to build. In October 2022, another student who later transferred was called a “smart chimpanzee” during his English class. The student’s mother found out nearly two weeks later, filed a harassment, intimidation, and bullying report, and met with Ruiz, two department chairs, and two teachers about the incident, according to an email.

Over the next month, León received numerous concerned emails from the parent about the situation at Global Studies:

Oct. 29, 2022: “My son was called a racial and derogatory remark … No one reached out to me or spoke with my son!”

Nov. 3, 2022: Ruiz “spoke with no sense of urgency! He even paused for a minute to check his cell phone!”

Nov. 3 2022: “Mr. Ruiz apologized to my son, as well as myself, nice words … but no action plan, no sense of concern or validation. I’m very disappointed as a Black mother, especially in these critical times that we live in.”

At the November board meeting, Black Student Union members and a parent spoke out about the harassment and called for stronger policies to prevent and discipline students who engage in racism.

The next day, León visited the school to speak with students in the Black Student Union in an effort to ease tensions, according to a Dec. 3, 2022 email from a parent.

But according to the email, the superintendent asked a student who had been called a racial slur in his English class if he would like a basketball team at the school.

“How fitting, let’s ask the Black students who were called monkeys to do what Black students are always asked to do, play sports, perform,” the parent whose name was redacted, wrote in the email, which was sent to León, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, and district staff.

As frustration with the school and district response mounted, parents started demanding changes; at least one asked for Ruiz to be removed as principal.

The parent also reached out to State Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, the senate majority leader who represents Newark, asking for her help and describing concerns for her son.

“My son has been traumatized and I’m worried for his well-being,” wrote the parent, whose name was redacted in a Dec. 4, 2022 email to the state senator and district staff.

Teresa Ruiz’s office said they forwarded the email to the district and were told the matter was addressed.

“Our office was notified by the school district that the parent was contacted and the matter was resolved,” according to an emailed statement to Chalkbeat, which also noted the state senator’s concern “anytime claims of harassment are raised.”

Newark works to address racial tensions

In early December, more than seven months after racist harassment on campus was first reported to district leaders, board members started taking action.

School and district leaders met with students in November and December. The situation also garnered attention from Baraka, who met with students separately in December to discuss the allegations.

But the meetings didn’t assuage all of the students’ concerns. By January, at least five more students, including the school’s Black Student Union founder, requested transfers to another district school, according to student comments during the January school board meeting.

Newark Public Schools denied a Chalkbeat Newark public records request for the number of students who transferred out of Newark School of Global Studies during the previous and current school years.

The students’ anger spilled over at the January school board meeting, where former and current students expressed dissatisfaction with how their reports of racist harassment were handled.

Former Global Studies student Yamia Bermudez said León met with students on Jan. 3 and told them that “if they didn’t like the way the school was run, they could leave.”

“The speech didn’t feel like it had any empathy and it gave very much, ‘if you don’t like it, then go home,’” said Bermudez during the meeting.

Allen, a former junior and student body president at the school, told board members he felt manipulated into working with them to solve the problems at the school.

“I won’t waste my breath asking any of you for anything, but I will leave you with this. I know no one in this room is brave enough to do what actually needs to be done,” Allen said during the meeting.

Allen requested a transfer in January but his request wasn’t granted until he refused to go back to school and his parents emailed Ruiz, Abdelwahab, and León about it, he said. Allen also said “a vast amount of students” were lined up outside of the guidance counselors’ offices the day after León said students who were unhappy with the school response could transfer.

Karlene Grant, a junior at the high school, also told board members of the obstacles she faced when trying to transfer.

“I have asked to transfer and have been told by guidance counselors multiple times you cannot transfer or if you leave, how would that make us feel?” she said.

Murray-Thomas apologized to the students after they spoke and said changes were happening but not “at the rate that it needs to happen.”

Emails also show two parents requesting transfers for their children in December and January. One of those parents emailed León and the nine board members after experiencing trouble with her daughter’s transfer. She said she submitted the form four times online but had not heard back from the district or school staff.

“The staff keeps saying that they have not received the transfer my daughter had a breakdown in the school and she is very unhappy every day I feel she’s being punished, neglected and discriminated,” read a Jan. 21 email to León and the nine board members from a parent whose name was redacted.

In the email, the parent pleaded: “I am crying out for help to make sure my daughter receives a fair education.”

‘I was advised by my therapist to leave’

At the start of February, the school kicked off Black History Month not with the remembrance of African American contributions, but instead with celebrations of Lunar New Year, which began on Jan. 22 and ended on Feb. 5.

Then-Black Student Union advisor and pre-AP English teacher Tammy Davis saw it as just another “culturally insensitive” slight to the Black students at the school. For months, she said, she had reached out to the principal and administrators about the “oppressive environment,” confrontations that she said resulted in mistreatment. By February, she was ready to leave.

On Feb. 13, Davis emailed her resignation to León and included a letter from her therapist describing the emotional toll she was enduring due to the situation.

“I was advised by my therapist to leave because I had a session where I was essentially infuriated and she didn’t feel like it would be good for me to go back,” said Davis about a therapy session in early February.

Within 30 minutes of receiving her emailed resignation, León released her from her role immediately, she said.

“He didn’t say anything about it or say I’m sorry that these things happen. We need to have an emergency meeting. There was nothing,” said Davis about León’s reaction to her resignation.

Davis also said she filed complaints about the harassment with the district’s human resource and affirmative action offices.

“I’m not giving up on this,” Davis said. “They will be held accountable for what they’ve done to not only the students but to us as professionals.”

At the end of February, according to the school’s Facebook page, Global Studies students celebrated the culture by presenting poems at a school assembly and participating in a performance where they “showcased their talents connected to Black History Month.”

Photos show students of all colors — smiling, listening to speakers, posing arm-in-arm. Among those pictured: Global Studies principal Ruiz, who is seen on stage dancing.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

New Jersey designates 25 Newark schools needing comprehensive or targeted support

2023-03-01T00:49:03+00:00

New Jersey has identified 25 underperforming schools in Newark, according to guidelines under federal law.

Those schools have been identified as needing comprehensive or targeted support and improvements to raise student achievement.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, known by its acronym ESSA, New Jersey must ensure that all students have access to a high quality and equitable education. The act also sets minimum requirements around measuring and reporting school performance and providing support to schools that need the most help.

All Newark schools are identified as Title I schools, in which at least 40% of children enrolled come from low-income families. Under ESSA, Title I schools can be identified as needing comprehensive, targeted, or additional targeted support and improvement depending on a school performance score.

The state uses a formula to determine a performance score and identify which schools need support. Using the New Jersey ESSA accountability system, the state looks at a school’s academic achievement, academic growth for elementary and middle schools, graduation rates for high schools, English language proficiency, and chronic absenteeism and designates a score.

Comprehensive schools perform at or below the bottom 5% of Title I schools or have a graduation rate of 67% or lower. No high school in Newark has a graduation rate of 67% percent or lower, said Superintendent Roger León during February’s school board business meeting.

Targeted schools are those that have one or more underperforming student groups, such as a specific student demographic, students with disabilities, and English learners. Schools that have a student group that is “consistently underperforming” are identified as needing additional targeted support. No school in Newark was identified as in need of this, León said.

25 Newark schools need comprehensive or targeted support

Eight schools entered Comprehensive Status:

Abington Avenue Elementary
Avon Avenue Elementary
Roberto Clemente Elementary
Michelle Obama Elementary
Sir Isaac Newton Elementary
Speedway Elementary
Harriet Tubman Elementary
West Side High School

Five schools entered Targeted Status:

Camden Street Elementary
Hawkins Street Elementary
Mount Vernon Elementary
Park Elementary
Sussex Avenue Elementary

Two schools moved from Comprehensive to Targeted Status:

George Washington Carver Elementary
Chancellor Avenue Elementary

Two schools continue Comprehensive Status:

Eagle Academy
Newark Vocational High School

Three schools continue Targeted Status:

Hawthorne Avenue Elementary
Luis Muñoz Marin Elementary
Peshine Avenue School

Five schools enter Comprehensive II Status:

Barringer High School
Rafael Hernandez Elementary
Quitman Street School
Malcolm X Shabazz High School
Weequahic High School

The state’s education department found eight Newark schools needing comprehensive support and five schools needing targeted support.

Additionally, two schools previously identified as needing comprehensive support moved to targeted status, two schools continue needing comprehensive support, and three schools continue needing targeted improvement.

The state also moved five schools to comprehensive II status, a designation for schools that need comprehensive support again but didn’t meet the state’s criteria to exit the category this year.

Under ESSA, these schools are provided with Title I funds meant to help schools raise the performance of the lowest-achieving students. Schools needing comprehensive or targeted support must write an action plan and receive additional funding to support student intervention strategies. Leòn did not say when schools must submit an action plan.

“The first strategy is making sure that people are aware,” said León during the meeting. “Making sure that [schools] engage stakeholders is a critical component in creating this plan moving forward.”

Of the remaining schools, 28 were not identified for any designation, six exited comprehensive status, and three schools exited targeted status this year. The schools that exited a state designation this year must write a sustainability plan.

New Jersey usually makes its school identifications using two consecutive years of data, but under the COVID-19 State Plan Addendum, the state used data from the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years this year due to pandemic learning disruptions.

New Jersey has its own ESSA plan and requires district and school leaders to engage families and community members to help identify the challenges a school needing comprehensive or targeted support faces and create a plan to address those.

León said Newark will remind parents of their school’s status at back-to-school nights, grade-level meetings, community meetings, and at the annual Title I parent conference, usually held in the fall.

“Making sure that we’re sharing this information becomes extremely important,” León added during the February business meeting.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Ethics complaints filed against four Newark Board of Education members

2023-02-24T22:57:34+00:00

Four members of the Newark Board of Education face ethics complaints currently before the New Jersey School Ethics Commission, according to details shared during the February school board meeting.

On Thursday, the school board approved four resolutions to pay $285 per hour in attorney’s fees and expenses for four unnamed board members at the center of the complaints.

The district did not release the names of the board members or details about the nature of the complaints during the meeting. The ethics commission has not released the ethics complaints.

Under New Jersey law, the commission cannot publicly release information about a complaint until a public meeting is held to determine probable cause or violation, or until the matter is settled, withdrawn, or dismissed.

During the meeting, board member Hasani Council abstained from voting on all four motions. Board president Dawn Haynes and members A’Dorian Murray-Thomas and Crystal Williams each abstained from one of the four motions.

According to Robert’s Rules, an abstention is neither for or against a matter before the body and can be used by board members who legally cannot vote on a matter due to a conflict of interest.

Council, Haynes, Murray-Thomas, and Williams did not respond to calls and emails from Chalkbeat Newark. The district’s acting communications director, Nancy Deering, did not respond to an email inquiry about the complaints.

Two board members will be represented by Souder, Shabazz & Woolridge law group, and the other two by Janelle Edwards-Stewart and Porzio, Bromberg & Newman PC, according to Thursday’s resolutions approved by the board.

Calvin Souder of Souder, Shabazz & Woolridge law group did not say what board members his firm was representing and refused to comment on the matter before ending the call. Janelle Edwards-Stewart and Porzio, Bromberg & Newman PC law firm did not respond to calls or emails from Chalkbeat Newark.

The votes on the legal fees came after members entered into a roughly hour-long executive session. Brenda Liss, the district’s general counsel, introduced each resolution and noted the state code requiring school districts to pay legal fees for board members facing litigation during the course of their terms.

The district did not say who filed the complaints against the board members.

This is the first time school board leaders face ethics complaints during León’s tenure. The news comes nearly a month after school board members came under fire after reports that León’s contract was automatically renewed.

It also comes two months before school board elections. Council’s board term is up this year but he has not said if he will run for reelection. Haynes’ term ends next year and Murray-Thomas and Williams have terms ending in 2025.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

NJ Gov. Phil Murphy announces statewide expansion of AP African American course

2023-02-14T23:32:26+00:00

New Jersey will expand Advanced Placement African American Studies courses to 26 schools statewide, including six in Newark, starting next school year.

Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement at Science Park High School on Tuesday while discussing the history of slavery with students in the school’s African American History class. Currently, Union County Vocational Technical High School is the only New Jersey school that offers the AP course.

“We want to expand the story and tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, even when it hurts,” said Murphy, a Democrat. “Our people of all races and ethnicities will be stronger for it, our society will be stronger, our country will be stronger and better for it.”

Currently, Newark offers an African American History curriculum that includes lessons on the contributions and struggles of Black people in the United States. Students learn about ancient Africa, the enslavement of African people in the U.S., and the struggle for civil rights, among other topics. The curriculum was created in 2020 thanks to a push from advocates who demanded Newark schools devote more time to African American history.

Much like Newark’s curriculum, the recently released College Board framework for the course will explore the “Origins of the African Diaspora” as well as “Movements and Debates.” In August, College Board rolled out the AP course across 60 schools nationwide as part of the first stage of its two-year pilot program with an initial draft framework. Next school year, the pilot expands to hundreds of high schools nationwide, including New Jersey. Pilot students take the first AP African American Studies exam in the spring of 2024 and all schools can begin offering the course during the 2024-25 school year.

But after disapproval from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican leaders, College Board released its official course framework earlier this month and removed much of the criticized content from the initial draft, including Black queer studies, reparations, and an example of the writings of poet and activist Amiri Baraka, father of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, among other notable activists.

“This begins with Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida. And it’s unacceptable and frankly shameful,” Murphy said.

Murphy’s news comes nearly a month after DeSantis blocked the new course from being taught in Florida public schools, alleging it violated a state law that restricts how race and racism are taught.

“There are people who have fought, even lost their lives to make sure that there were not just African American studies but women’s studies, Chicano studies, Asian studies,” Baraka said. “And it just doesn’t make sense that the College Board would limit the universal ideas that are available in this country.”

Now, Newark and other districts in New Jersey that include the new course will have to decide if they will incorporate much of what the College Board removed.

Murphy said it’s up to districts “to build back into the curriculum, as they see fit.”

Additionally, New Jersey leaders will have to address inequities among students of color who take AP courses in the state. During the 2020-21 school year, less than half of Black and Hispanic juniors and seniors across the state took at least one AP or IB class, compared to 41% of white students and 68% of Asian students.

Acting Commissioner of Education Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan and Superintendent Roger León were also in attendance Tuesday as they heard from Alnazir Blackman, who teaches the African African American History class at Science Park and will teach the AP course at the school next year.

“As painful as this might be, including for nonblacks in this country, we have to face this history straight up,” Murphy said.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark nonprofit celebrates “votingtine’s week” to raise voter turnout in this year’s school board election

2023-02-14T21:45:37+00:00

A local nonprofit is rebranding Valentine’s Day to get residents to “fall in love with voting” ahead of the Newark school board race in April.

This week, Project Ready, a Newark-based nonprofit organization, is celebrating “votingtine’s week” by visiting schools, registering parents to vote, and encouraging participation in the upcoming Newark Board of Education election on April 25. With only 3% of voters participating in last year’s school board race, Project Ready hopes to increase this year’s turnout.

“One of the things we think that could be missing is that people have fallen out of love with democracy,” said Shennell McCloud, Project Ready’s chief executive officer. “Perhaps they’re a bit untrusting of democracy, untrusting of the process or perhaps they don’t know about the process.”

Voter turnout at the annual school board election has been low for years, hovering around 3%-4% of registered voters. But organizations like Project Ready are educating residents about the significant impacts school board elections can have on children. This year, three seats on the school board are up for election and Newark voters decide who fills them.

“All politics are local and what’s unfortunate is that what we’ve seen, over the course of the years, a complete decline in voting in local elections,” McCloud said. “So we’re taking this week where it’s originally a week of love and trying to spread the love of voting.”

On Monday, McCloud and her team were at the Great Oaks Legacy Middle School motivating West Ward residents to vote this spring and encouraging students to tell their parents about the election. With the help of a Ben and Jerry’s truck, dozens of students and community members received free hot chocolate, cookies, flowers, and information about the upcoming election.

“I didn’t even know there were school board elections happening,” said one parent as McCloud handed them a voter registration form.

This year, school board incumbents Josephine Garcia, Flohisha Johnson, and Hasani Council must decide if they will seek reelection or vacate their seats when their terms expire at the end of the year. Both Garcia and Johnson were elected in 2017 and are the longest standing board members. Council joined the board in 2020. In April, Newark voters will decide who gets a three-year term on the board.

McCloud hopes to reach roughly 1,000 Newark residents through their weeklong event. She says her group has been “intentional” about getting out the vote especially after controversy over Superintendent Roger León’s contract renewal.

“I want to makes sure people don’t miss any more moments like that. Community voice is the most important voice,” McCloud.

In addition to school board elections, Newark residents will also vote on the district’s 2023-24 school year budget. Preliminary budget reviews and meetings are currently being held ahead of the March 29 public budget hearing. Last year’s budget landed at $1.2 billion for the 2022-23 school year and included $138.3 million from the local tax levy. The district received roughly $1 billion in state aid.

Project Ready and the Ben and Jerry’s truck will visit KIPP BOLD and THRIVE Academy and Central High School on Valentine’s Day and Achieve Community Charter School and Avon Avenue School on Thursday.

The last day for candidates to file is on March 6 and ballot drawings will be held on March 15, board president Dawn Haynes said at the Jan. 24 business meeting. Residents must send in their vote-by-mail ballots by April 18 or vote in person on April 25.

For more information on how to register to vote visit Project Ready.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org .

Is your student facing barriers in getting to school every day? Tell us why.

2023-02-08T21:53:57+00:00

Newark Public Schools has a history of poor attendance rates and chronic absenteeism among its students. The pandemic disrupted student learning and in-person interactions, further eroding school attendance.

To better understand the barriers to attendance, Chalkbeat Newark is looking to speak with students, parents, guardians, educators, and family members who know or have a student who’s missed school in a Newark public school and the challenges they face in getting there.

Regularly missing school can be disastrous for students and may lead to lower test scores and a higher risk of dropping out. The district continues to average a 91% daily attendance rate but schools with high average daily attendance may still have a core group of chronically absent students.

Students are considered severely chronic if they miss ten school days or more a year and chronically absent if they miss less than nine and a half during that same time frame. In a month, a student is chronically absent if they miss more than two days and severely chronically absent if they miss more than three and a half school days.

According to experts, students who miss that much school tend to have a greater risk of getting in trouble with the law, among other negative impacts.

Newark absenteeism is on the rise this year and exceeds fall 2019 rates, when 17% of students were chronically absent, but remains behind fall 2020 rates when 32% of students were chronically absent during remote learning.

Chronic absences sometimes vary from year to year for different reasons that can be tough to pinpoint. This year, Newark school leaders are grappling with pandemic-era challenges and barriers to getting to school such as transportation issues, housing instability, student illness, and school learning environments as they work to get students in classrooms.

A look at the district’s fall data shows that roughly 21% of students were chronically absent from September to December 2022, with 8% of those students considered severely chronic, according to Newark Public Schools in January.

In November, just over 35% of the district’s students were reported as chronically absent, with roughly 12% of students categorized as severely chronically absent that month, according to data presented by the Newark Board of Education. The numbers reflect a roughly 4% increase from the previous month when 31% of students were reported as having a chronic absence.

The district has used attendance campaigns to motivate students to get to school every day in the past. This year, it launched an incentive program offering gift cards and tickets to New Jersey Devils home games to students at four high schools to help reduce chronic absenteeism among high school students.

Some students can find motivation in rewards programs that incentivize students to be in school, but those who are chronically or severely chronically absent may need more intensive support to address their attendance issues, according to Hedy Chang, the executive director for the national nonprofit Attendance Works.

Does your student face barriers in getting to school? Has the pandemic made it harder for your student to attend classes regularly? Please fill out the survey below to help us understand what’s causing chronic absenteeism in Newark and why students are struggling to get to school.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark parents of children with autism face barriers to care as cases spike in New Jersey

2023-02-07T17:10:16+00:00

Newark families of children with autism may have to travel outside the city to receive care or wait months to receive a diagnosis from a medical professional, as the number of diagnosed cases in the city has surged since 2000.

Researchers at Rutgers University found that as of 2020, 1 in 20 Newark children had been diagnosed with autism, compared with 1 in 167 in 2000.

Statewide, they found, autism rates among 8-year-olds without intellectual disabilities spiked by 500% from 2000 to 2016, and overcall cases among children with intellectual disabilities tripled during the same period.

The study also found disparities in the diagnosis of Black and Latino children, specifically in socially disadvantaged areas like Newark where more services and early intervention programs are needed to treat the disorder effectively.

Researchers said that while autism is becoming more common in New Jersey, the big spikes that showed up in their study were largely due to autism going under-detected in the past among children with average or above-average intellect. They said the data reflected greater awareness of autism, and pointed to the need for better screening and more autism research and services in Newark.

“Until we discover the causes and risk factors for autism, the best thing that we could do is identify the kids who have it as soon as possible and get them into interventions properly,” said co-author Walter Zahorodny, director of the New Jersey Autism Study, a monitoring system set up by Rutgers.

Zahorodny and co-author Josephine Shenouda, an adjunct professor at Rutgers, used biannual data from the New Jersey Autism Study to look at the prevalence of autism among 8-year-olds in Essex, Hudson, Ocean, and Union counties, including patterns based on family wealth and race. By age 8, experts say, most children on the autism spectrum have had a chance to be evaluated by more than one professional.

The study found spikes in all four counties. Amid that surge, children in high income areas were more likely to be diagnosed than those in lower income areas, according to the autism study. Specifically, those living in affluent areas were 80% more likely to be identified with autism and no intellectual disabilities than children in underserved areas. Similarly, Black children with autism and no intellectual disabilities were 30% less likely than white children to be identified.

Half of Newark’s children identified as Black, and 43% as Latino in 2019, according to data from the 2022 Newark Kids Count. By 2018, approximately 9% of boys in Newark had an autism diagnosis, and by 2020, 2.3% of girls had one.

The researchers estimated that as of 2020, about 6% of Black children in the city had an autism diagnosis.

“There are many more children that need to be evaluated, but there’s a supply problem,” Zahorodny said, adding that there are not enough professionals with the training and experience to diagnose children.

The Rutgers team found that children from underserved communities were significantly less likely to get their first professional evaluation before 36 months of age, and therefore less likely to participate in early intervention programs.

Additionally, school districts like Newark are seeing increased demand from families of students with autism and other disabilities for speech therapy and other services. Currently, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School has just one full-time developmental pediatrician for the Newark area, according to Zahorodny.

“I’m pretty sure that none of the school districts have the right or even sufficient number of speech pathologists, physical, occupational therapists, and other experts who can help the child,” Zahorodny said.

Barriers to care in Newark

Before the pandemic shut down schools in 2020, Nyemia Young was seeking help in getting her then 2-year-old son, Nasariah, diagnosed with autism after noticing changes in his development. She remembers calling hospitals in different towns and doctors in neighboring cities for an appointment, only to be told she would have to wait up to 12 months at some locations.

Young was hoping to get Nasariah into an early intervention program, but once the pandemic hit, she had to wait another year to get a proper diagnosis.

“In order for him to get the help, I know I needed to go beyond where I was living to get it,” Young said.

Ultimately, Nasariah was diagnosed in August 2021 at a specialty hospital in the Bronx, more than 20 miles from Young’s home. Despite the distance, Young was relieved to get the diagnosis, which made her son eligible for an early intervention program five days after he turned 3.

“Then the Newark Board (of Education) reached out to me and started giving me all these questionnaires,” Young said. “That made me open my eyes, and I started looking at the different schools in Newark with autism programs.”

Young found support at Nassan’s Place, a Newark community group providing educational and recreational activities for autistic children and their families. The group helped her understand what her son was going through and recommended programs and schools for Nasariah.

Nadine Wright-Arbubakrr, president and founder of Nassan’s Place, said she hears from parents who are frustrated with the months-long wait to see a doctor and the difficulties in navigating the medical system to find help. Language barriers are also a problem for some families.

“Those who have tried to get support are being told they got to wait six to nine months,” Wright-Arbubakrr said. “That’s a valuable time frame, where the children are losing the opportunity to get the resources that will better serve them or better help them with delays.”

Nasariah is now in his second year at the ECC North school, where he receives speech and occupational therapy services to help with his speech delay and day-to-day tasks. Young said she felt lucky to get an early diagnosis for Nasariah but still has to drive to places outside Newark, like the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Union, where her son gets additional occupational therapy services.

This year, Newark Public Schools has 40 speech-language specialists, three occupational therapists, one physical therapist, and one audiologist working at the school level to provide related services to its more than 6,600 students with disabilities, including those with autism. The district also recruited two new outside agencies to provide additional support in occupational, physical, and speech therapy.

But Young said she feels the system is burdensome and plans to move to another state to find better support. She said she hopes the spike in autism cases in New Jersey calls attention to the needs of children like hers.

“I just want to make sure that wherever I go, they have all the things they need for Nasariah,” she said.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

National nonprofit, Newark synagogue to build new playground at Lincoln Elementary

2023-01-31T21:15:36+00:00

Students at Lincoln Elementary School will have a new place to run and play by the end of the year thanks to a new initiative to expand access to green spaces and recreational areas in Newark.

Most of the city’s public schoolyards are covered in asphalt and organizations such as the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land and Newark’s Congregation Ahavas Sholom are partnering with Newark Public Schools to redesign outdoor playgrounds.

Last week, the Newark Board of Education approved a partnership with Trust for Public Land and Ahavas Sholom to design and build a new playground at Lincoln School at no cost to the district.

The roughly $2 million project is funded through the Green Acres Grant Program and the Local Recreation Improvement Grant.

“A park at Lincoln Elementary provides an opportunity for the school and community to benefit from outdoor learning and living spaces,” said Nancy Deering, acting communications director for Newark Public Schools.

Of the 90,000 public schoolyards across the country, less than 1% are green and open to the public after school and on weekends according to data from Trust for Public Land. Concrete and asphalt yards contribute to urban heat islands with their effects most prominent during the warmer months. Newark is one of the nation’s worst heat islands.

Lincoln School, located in the city’s Vailsburg neighborhood in the West Ward, was built in 1916 and expanded during the 1930s as part of the Works Progress Administration projects instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt. Currently, the schoolyard is covered in asphalt with little play equipment.

In Newark, 94% of the population lives within a 10-minute walk of a park, according to Trust for Public Land’s 2022 ParkScore Index, but for the remaining 17,321 people without access to a nearby park, Trust for Public Land is prioritizing the redevelopment of playgrounds in schools such as Lincoln and other outdoor spaces to reduce the gap.

“We believe every student, faculty member, and resident of Newark should have a community schoolyard that supports the social, emotional, and academic development of Newark’s children,” said Scott Dvorak, Trust for Public Land’s New Jersey state director. “We intend to continue our work until we have achieved that goal.”

Construction is set to begin over the summer and fall of this year pending permit approvals and the construction bidding process, according to Dvorak. Once completed, nearly 500 students and school staff, as well as the area’s more than 8,000 residents, will have access to the schoolyard by the end of this year.

According to the agreement between Trust for Public Land and Newark Public Schools, the nonprofit will work with school administrators, teachers, students, the local community, and other stakeholders to design the playground.

In 2015, Trust for Public Land and Ahavas Sholom, helped renovate the Sussex Avenue School schoolyard, which was also covered in asphalt and had one basketball hoop. Students at the school helped design the new space and all grades voted on what they wanted. The new half-acre schoolyard was designed to include a turf field, running track, and a drinking fountain on the playground for the first time. The yard also includes a seating area, fashioned from large granite blocks, that functions as an outdoor classroom.

Historically, communities of color and low-income neighborhoods have less access to green spaces. Previously, Trust for Public Land has helped transform 13 parks and schoolyards in Newark’s highest-need neighborhoods including Newark Riverfront Park, Jesse Allen Park, and Lafayette Street School as well as 200 schoolyards nationwide.

They receive financial support from national and state agencies and other nonprofits.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

Newark school board blocks attempt to stop superintendent’s contract renewal

2023-01-27T04:23:05+00:00

A Newark school board member’s attempt to stop Superintendent Roger León’s contract renewal and to allow public input went nowhere Thursday, following continued questions about transparency of the process.

Board member Crystal Williams, who was elected last year, introduced a motion to issue a letter of nonrenewal to León before Jan. 31 “in order to reassess his contract” and “give the public the opportunity to voice their concerns.” But the motion died for lack of a second by any of the other eight members of the Newark Board of Education.

Williams’ motion was the first challenge by a board member since last week’s revelation that León’s contract was quietly renewed in May 2022. Once that renewal takes effect on July 1, 2023, León’s term will extend to June 30, 2028, according to his contract.

“The voice of the community is paramount,” said Williams as she introduced the motion. “Let’s take their concerns seriously and do this the right way; there’s no reason to go around it.”

Dozens of Newark parents, teachers, students, and advocates filled the room during Thursday’s board of education meeting and raised a range of issues affecting public school students. Current and former students at Newark’s School of Global Studies brought up concerns over patterns of racist harassment at the school, high school teachers shared their worries over the lack of bilingual teachers supporting English language learners, and advocates criticized the board’s handling of the superintendent’s contract renewal.

Newark school leaders have been under fire after reports that León’s contract was automatically renewed due to a clause in his previous contract that said board members needed to alert him by May 15, 2022, if his term wasn’t going to be extended the next year.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Deborah Gregory Smith, president of the Newark chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, pointed to the community interest in holding the board accountable after it regained full control of the district from the state.

“Since the return to local control, those of us who fought to have it reinstated have not dropped the ball or stopped being involved,” Smith said. “You have not been listening to the community and as a result have not been transparent or accountable for your decision.”

Others like Newark resident Deanna Harrell said they felt compelled to attend Thursday’s meeting because of the concerns over León’s contract renewal.

“I’m not normally here at these meetings, but hearing about things like that made me want to be here at these meetings and I will be here going forward,” Harrell said.

Following Williams’ motion, board member Flohisha Johnson, who was part of the board that approved León’s initial contract in 2018, defended the contract renewal and process.

“I stand behind my superintendent because you know why? I elected him into this office and we appointed him as a board, as a whole, and we don’t have a problem with him,” said Johnson, who was first elected to the board in 2017.

She also read a state law that does not require boards of education to provide public notice or hearings for new contracts, including contracts that replace expired contracts for tenured and non-tenured employees. According to the law, a public notice and public hearing are required only for renegotiations, extensions, amendments, or other alterations to the terms of existing contracts.

John Paff, a longtime advocate for government transparency and a member of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, said the state law surrounding superintendent contracts should be amended to ensure the public is aware of contract renewals and decisions.

“This whole problem is nothing but lousy public policy. Nothing like this should be automatically renewed,” Paff said. “The average member of the public is not informed enough and shouldn’t be responsible to be involved enough to pay attention to statutes like this.”

New Jersey state leaders should review the mandates set by law to ensure the public’s protection, he said.

“The Legislature should repeal the statute and change it so that a public hearing provision is included prior to the end of a contract. That’s the only way the public could be protected,” Paff said.

The groundwork for the terms of the automatic renewal was set during a “sparsely attended” public hearing held before a regular school board meeting in 2019, as Chalkbeat Newark reported at the time. After the hearing — which was not advertised online ahead of time —the board extended León’s contract by two extra years and added the renewal clause.

León, a former principal and lifelong Newark resident, did not address the controversy at the meeting or at Saturday’s board retreat. Instead, he addressed questions about his contract during an interview on “Chat Box” that aired on YouTube and NJ PBS on Thursday.

“The fact that people didn’t know is really an important factor and just educating the community and having conversations with them is something that we obviously think is important … and will be doing as we get through the end of the term of this contract and as we begin the next one,” León said when asked about the public scrutiny the district is getting in light of the quiet renewal.

He was hired in 2018 for a three-year contract that extended to June 30, 2021, according to board documents.

“I was part of this board when we gained back local control,” Johnson said during Thursday’s meeting. “I was part of this board when we voted the superintendent in, who I think is doing an awesome job.”

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark school board president defends Superintendent Roger León’s contract renewal

2023-01-21T20:48:45+00:00

School board members for New Jersey’s largest school district defended the renewal of Superintendent Roger León’s contract, saying it was not hidden from the public.

During Saturday’s Newark Board of Education retreat meeting, Board President Dawn Haynes suggested that reports that León’s contract was automatically renewed in May and community questions about the process were a misunderstanding of actions taken at a public meeting in 2019.

“I just want to make it extremely clear that whatever miscommunication or talk that’s happening in the media, that is what was stated,” said Haynes about the contract approval process during the meeting. “That is what happened according to our timeline and what we know to be true.”

León, a former principal and lifelong Newark resident, did not address the controversy at the meeting. He was hired in 2018 under a three-year contract that originally ended on June 30, 2021, according to board documents. In 2019, Chalkbeat Newark reported that a “sparsely attended” public hearing – which was not advertised online ahead of time – was held before the regularly scheduled August school board business meeting to discuss León’s contract renewal.

During that meeting, board members unanimously approved an amendment that added two more years to León’s original five-year contract in order to “accomplish the goals” in Newark’s 2020-30 strategic plan. This action extended his contract through 2023.

Both the original contract and the extensions had renewal clauses for the superintendent’s employment, Haynes said. District spokeswoman Nancy Deering was quoted in the Star-Ledger saying that “the contract automatically renewed in May.” It remained unclear Saturday why the contract would have been renewed before the 2023 expiration.

León’s 2018 and 2019 employment contracts have not been made publicly available. Deering has not replied to multiple requests for comment and to see the contracts from Chalkbeat.

Haynes also addressed Leon’s salary increase, which was a result of cost of living adjustments, she said.

In 2019-20 and 2020-21, he was paid $260,000, according to state school salary data. After a cap on superintendent salaries was lifted in 2019, León’s salary went up as superintendents’ salaries did in most districts throughout the state. In 2021-22, León’s salary was $282,425 and in 2022-23, that went up to $290,050.

Meanwhile, board member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas introduced a resolution to secure a separate counsel for board members, which passed with four yes votes and five abstentions. Currently, the board shares counsel with the district.

More than a dozen community members showed up to Saturday’s board meeting, but after the meeting stretched for several hours plus a lengthy recess, some residents opted to leave before the public comment portion. Several stayed to question León’s contract renewal process and pressed board members about the district’s transparency.

“What it looks like is our community is being kept in the dark. What it feels like is that I am not being trusted as a community member in doing my part in supporting you. And what it sounds like is unethical practices,” said Shennell McCloud, chief executive officer of Project Ready.

Some members of the community were upset that they didn’t know about the public hearing on León’s contract in 2019.

“I do not recall any public participation about your contract. But we need to know how it was an automatic renewal. I don’t know how that happened,” said Dr. Viva White, a Newark parent.

Others wondered why the superintendent’s May renewal wasn’t presented to the public.

“The superintendent’s contract may have automatically renewed but you all still have to write a contract. You still have to present that contract before us to comment. I comment now,” said Denise Cole, a longtime education advocate.

While León did not address his contract renewal, he gave an hour-long presentation on the district’s accomplishments, projects and department reinstatements since he took the job in 2018.

The Newark Board of Education will meet on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. for its regularly scheduled school board meeting.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

Newark high school students can earn hockey tickets, gift cards in campaign to fight chronic absenteeism

2023-01-20T15:00:28+00:00

Newark school leaders are offering gift cards and tickets to New Jersey Devils home games to students at four high schools as part of a new initiative to raise attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism.

Among the high schools, Newark Vocational, Barringer, and West Side saw the highest levels of students who are chronically absent in October and November, according to data presented last month by the Newark Board of Education. But in a new partnership with the Devils Youth Foundation, the district launched an incentive program this month to raise attendance at Barringer, Central, Malcolm X Shabazz, and Weequahic High Schools, which are home to roughly 3,400 students combined.

A student is considered chronically absent if they miss between two and three days of school in a month, and severely chronically absent if they miss more than three and a half school days in that period. Chronically absent students are those who miss 10% or more of school days — or at least 18 days — during a school year for any reason.

Newark has long struggled with poor attendance and previously used attendance campaigns to motivate students to get to school every day. This year, Newark school leaders are grappling with post-pandemic challenges and barriers such as transportation problems, housing instability, student illness, and school learning environments as they work to keep attendance rates up.

The state uses chronic absenteeism as a measure of school quality and success for accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to the New Jersey department of education.

Just over 35% of Newark Public School students were reported as being chronically absent in November, according to data presented by the Newark Board of Education last month. The numbers reflect a roughly 4% increase from the previous month, when 31% of students were chronically or severely chronically absent. At the beginning of this school year, the district reported 27% of all Newark students were chronically absent in September.

Among the high schools, 30% of students at West Side had severe chronic absences by missing three and a half days of school or more in November. Newark Vocational reported 29% of its students had chronic absences because they missed two or three days of school that same month.

In October, 35% of students at Barringer had severe chronic absences while Newark Vocational reported 28% of students had chronic absences because they missed two or three days that same month. Both Shabazz and Central reported 18% of students had severe chronic absences in November while Weequahic reported 13% that same month.

Under the new initiative with the Devils Youth Foundation, the district aims to raise attendance by 2 percentage points in the high schools and reward students for achieving attendance goals. Students can earn Amazon gift cards and tickets to select New Jersey Devils home games as part of the program, which runs until June.

“Absenteeism among students, especially since COVID, has been on the rise,” said Kate Whitman Annis, the executive director of the Devils Youth Foundation, in an email to Chalkbeat Newark. She said they are trying to address “the core issues students are facing that contribute to students missing school.”

During the 2018-19 school year, the district had a 26.8% chronic absenteeism rate – a roughly 6% improvement from the previous school year when 32% of students were chronically absent, according to New Jersey School Performance data.

According to experts, students who miss that much school tend to have lower test scores, higher dropout rates, and a greater risk of getting in trouble with the law. Experts cautioned that chronic absences sometimes vary from year to year for different reasons that could be tough to pinpoint. Hedy Cheng, the executive director for Attendance Works, a nonprofit focused on improving school attendance rates, said some challenges include school practices that can affect attendance, transportation issues, housing instability, and academic engagement.

“Kids who aren’t so challenged are generally having better attendance,” Cheng said. “But there’s a group of kids who are still experiencing challenges and their attendance might be even more challenged.”

High school students might face additional barriers to getting to school such as work, taking care of an older sibling, or an unsafe passage to campus due to community violence. Some find motivation in rewards programs that incentivize students to be in school, but those who are chronically or severely chronically absent may need more intensive support to address their attendance issues, Cheng added.

As of Nov. 30, the district reported a 91.7% average daily attendance rate, similar to the 2019 rate when the district averaged 91%. But schools with high average daily attendance rates may still have a core group of chronically absent students.

“Those kids also need [rewards] but it just won’t be sufficient,” said Cheng who also noted that severe chronic absences could still be high even in schools with strong daily attendance rates.

In 2018, Superintendent Roger León launched a back-to-school campaign called “Give Me Five.” It required each district employee, from custodians to assistant superintendents, to call the families of five students to urge them to show up to school on the first day of classes. He noted the success of the program while the chronic absenteeism rate grew to 26% that school year.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

NJ isn’t tracking school district compliance with COVID-related law for students with disabilities

2023-01-13T16:33:23+00:00

This story has been updated to include a response from Newark Public Schools.

The New Jersey Department of Education says it is not currently monitoring whether school districts are complying with a state law about services that students with disabilities missed out on during the pandemic, despite claims from advocates that more state supervision is needed.

In early 2022, New Jersey passed a pandemic-related “compensatory education law” that requires school districts to meet with all students who received special education services between March 18, 2020, and Sept. 1, 2021, to determine if they missed services during the pandemic. The law also requires districts to find ways to fill in the gaps for students who did miss out.

But under the law, the state education department is not required to collect data regarding school district compliance, Kathleen Ehling, assistant commissioner for the division of educational services at the department, said in a December letter.

Ehling’s comments came in response to letters from a group of special education advocates and attorneys to the department that urged state leaders for more oversight and intervention, after parents in some districts said they didn’t know their rights under the new law.

The group’s letters detailed how districts asked some parents to sign documents about makeup services without having a discussion about services their children missed during the pandemic. In other situations, districts asked parents to write requests for meetings about the matter. In both cases, districts’ actions violated the state law.

The department will review districts’ compliance during the state’s “collaborative monitoring process,” which is a comprehensive review of federal and state special education programs and regulations later this year, the agency added.

In addition, “A further targeted review will be conducted in 2023 to ensure compliance” with the law, Laura Fredrick, communications director for the state education department, told Chalkbeat Newark in December. Districts not in compliance will have to adopt a corrective action plan, she said.

Under the law, school districts had until Dec. 31 of last year to schedule Individualized Education Program (often known as IEP) meetings, with parents of students with disabilities to discuss academic gaps during the pandemic and makeup services to address learning disruptions.

Even though that deadline for school districts has passed, Elizabeth Athos, a senior educational equity attorney at the Education Law Center, said that “if a district didn’t do anything, obviously that’s not good, but it doesn’t mean the district is off the hook.”

Athos, who’s also a member of the New Jersey Special Education Practitioners advocacy group that spearheaded the letters to the state about the matter, said parents should “still try and get school districts to the table” to discuss makeup services and their children’s academic progress during the pandemic.

If a district did not schedule an IEP meeting or discuss missed services during the pandemic, families can also take matters to the state by filing a complaint or requesting a due process hearing by Sept. 1. However, Athos said that strategy could be daunting for some parents who might have trouble navigating the system.

Special education concerns persist amid COVID

The lack of continuous oversight by the state could aggravate fears about the support for students with disabilities during the pandemic.

In April 2020, a new state rule allowed districts to offer special education services virtually. But around the same time, the state department of education also told school districts that even if they offered virtual services for students with disabilities during the pandemic, makeup services might still be needed when students returned to in-person learning.

Despite the flexibility districts received with respect to students with disabilities, Chalkbeat Newark found that in 2020, some of these students hadn’t received services for more than 10 days, a situation that constitutes a change in a student’s IEP, which in turn requires a meeting.

Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering said the district “uses internal staff and external vendors to cover any service that may have been missed and families can contact the CST [child study team] at any time.”

“We continue to hire staff and vendors to provide compensatory services,” Deering added.

Marilyn Mitchell, the district’s director of special education did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment about Newark’s compliance with the compensatory education law.

Last year, the state issued a corrective action plan for Newark Public Schools after it found that the district failed to meet several of its responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the main federal special education law. The state found that the district missed meetings with parents and students, and discovered flaws in student placements and other problems.

Newark’s problems providing support and services to its students with disabilities predate the pandemic. In 2019, state monitors ordered Newark to implement a corrective action plan after they found the district failed to meet key mandates related to education plans for students with disabilities.

Parents can seek help from the state

In her response last month to the New Jersey Special Education Practitioners, Ehling said the state issued a memo before the Dec. 31 deadline reminding school districts of their obligations for making up special education services.

Makeup services may include additional sessions per week, or services provided beyond the regular school day, such as additional speech therapy sessions or academic instruction.

If a school district denied a student extra support to make up for missed services, or if parents feel more should be done to address the need, they can find help from the state by requesting a due process hearing by Sept. 1, 2023.

Parents who did not get an IEP meeting with their school districts to discuss makeup services can continue to request one with their school districts, or reach out to their county’s special education specialist or the state’s Special Education Ombudsman.

Parents can also request an investigation into their complaint by submitting a form to the state. However, Athos said that parents do not need a lawyer to request help from the state.

“[Parents] can keep pushing, and in theory, the state should assist and make districts do what they’re supposed to do,” Athos added.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

Incoming Newark high school students may take new entrance test

2023-01-11T11:00:00+00:00

Eighth graders seeking admission into Newark’s high schools could take a new entrance exam this year.

During last month’s Newark Board of Education meeting, the board approved a $52,260 contract to acquire the Stanford Achievement Test, or SAT10, and use it as the Newark Enrollment High School Entrance Exam. This year, incoming high schoolers are required to take their admissions test in early February but the district has not clarified if the new entrance exam will be given to students this year.

The contract term is for Jan. 12 through Dec. 31, 2023.

Rochanda Jackson, the district’s executive director of policy, planning, evaluation, and testing, reviewed and approved the contract but did not respond to emails from Chalkbeat Newark asking when the new test will be implemented or how schools will use the exam results in upcoming admissions decisions for the 2023-24 school year. Newark Board of Education members and spokesperson Nancy Deering also did not respond to emails.

High school admission exams are typically used to assess students in subjects such as math and reading and are often used to determine student placement in private or specialized schools. All Newark eighth graders are set to take an entrance exam next month, whether or not they applied to any magnet schools, but it is unclear if the new entrance exam will also assess placement for students hoping to get into a magnet school.

In 2020, students looking to get into one of Newark’s six magnet high schools took the PreACT from test maker, ACT Inc. Some of the schools previously administered their own entrance exams, which the district eliminated several years ago.

Superintendent Roger León has shared little about the district’s high school entrance exam, and during board meetings in the fall, only noted the dates for the test next month.

Current Newark eighth grade students are slated to take a high school admissions test during the school day at their current schools on Feb. 10, with non-Newark students scheduled for testing on Feb. 11, according to the Newark Enrolls website. Additional testing days will be held on Feb. 17 for Newark eighth graders and Feb. 18 for non-Newark students. School match letters will be sent on April 18 to all Newark students.

But neither the district’s website nor its Newark Enrolls enrollment guidebook show how the high school admission exam will be used to weigh enrollment decisions for students vying for a spot in Newark’s traditional or magnet high schools.

According to the owner of the test, Canada-based company Multi Health Systems Inc., or MHS, the SAT10 was “independently developed to give schools a tool to measure students’ achievement” in math, reading, environment, science, and social science at different stages throughout the school year. Texas-based company NCS Pearson, Inc. formerly owned the test before transferring ownership to MHS in February 2022.

“The SAT10 was developed with the intention of providing educators with a tool to assess student progress toward academic standards in kindergarten-12th grade,” Jenni Pitkanen, chief product officer for MHS, wrote in an email to Chalkbeat Newark. “Educators who administer the SAT10 use the results in different ways as suits their particular needs as part of an overall assessment process.”

The SAT10 consists of questions on reading and comprehension, sound and letters, mathematics, language, spelling, listening comprehension, science, and social science. Each test is scored electronically with one point given for each correct answer and students’ raw scores are converted to different scores that provide “equitable comparison” across different groups, Pitkanen said.

Electronic, booklet, and scantron options are available for the SAT10 test, and results are provided to the school district once testing and review have been completed, Pitkanen said, adding that how the results are used is a local decision.

“More generally, achievement tests are used to identify student strengths and needs in a given grade, leading to the effective placement and instructional planning,” Pitkanen said.

During the 2021-22 school year, 29%, or roughly 11,100, Newark students were enrolled in district high schools, according to Newark Enrolls data.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

My parents’ journey to the U.S. paved the way for my career as a journalist

2023-01-04T21:44:57+00:00

My parents’ commitment to a better future saved me from a life of poverty and oppression – and led me to journalism.

My dad was a curly-haired boy and my mom was a curly-haired girl who met in their homeland of Nicaragua as the country’s revolution unfolded and extreme poverty was the way of life. They were in grade school and quickly fell in love, bonding over their drive to be the best in school.

Their love flourished during their teenage years and grew even stronger as my mom dealt with the passing of my grandma. By the late 1980s, Nicaragua’s revolutionary war was flaring and my dad had to choose between leaving the country or being drafted into the military.

They fled to Guatemala. The young couple was then in their early 20s, and in the coming months, would soon learn they were expecting a baby. My dad knew the only option to provide for his family was to get to the United States.

So, he crossed rivers, slept in the desert, and traveled on “La Bestia,” a freight train migrants use to get from southern Mexico to the U.S. border. Once on American soil, he was able to apply for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Nicaraguans at the time, which allowed my dad to stay in the country legally and bring my mom.

I was born in Miami, Florida in 1994 — their curly-haired daughter — and my parents were one step closer to their “American Dream.” Their sacrifices allowed me to become the first in my family to graduate college.

But as a first-generation student and later, the oldest sibling, I faced my own set of challenges as my parents were trying to understand a new country, a second language, and an unfamiliar school system.

I spent most of my elementary school years in the Jersey City Public School system before I moved with my mom to Southern California. It was a major cultural and social adjustment for me. I went from an East Coast school where the majority of my classmates came from Indian or Italian families to one in California where most of my peers identified as Mexican-American. It was hard to leave my friends, but my bicoastal experience exposed me to different communities and cultures.

Chalkbeat Newark reporter Jessie Gómez takes a picture with her siblings during her college graduation.

My parents always dreamed that I would become a doctor or a scientist, even though I struggled with math in school. Their dream ignited my own drive to become the best student, which often meant staying an extra hour or two after school for tutoring or calling on friends for help when I didn’t understand something. Although I was an honor student in middle school and took advanced placement courses in high school, I struggled to keep up with my schoolwork while juggling my home life.

My parents’ dream inspired my own dreams

I got my first part-time job in high school to help my mom, a hairdresser and single parent at that time, support my two siblings. Just before my 16th birthday, I got my driver’s license to help drive my siblings to school and meet my mom at parent-teacher conferences, where I served as her interpreter.

I was often the secondary parent listed as my siblings’ emergency contact, and I learned to advocate for them in the school system. Between helping my mom, being a high school student, and juggling extracurricular activities and work, I was stretched thin.

Still, I managed to graduate with a 4.2 grade point average and pass advanced placement exams.

Like my parents, I was proud of all that I accomplished but staying on track to go to college was hard because my family and I were unfamiliar with the process.

We managed by asking my friends for their advice, talking to counselors and teachers, and spending countless hours googling colleges and their requirements. It was a tough journey but with the help of my parents, my educational support system, and three jobs, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University.

I eventually moved back to New Jersey where I got a job as a reporter at a local newspaper, covering the affluent, predominantly white suburban towns of Morris and Bergen Counties. The people and the issues they faced were nothing like my own and I often felt out of place in those communities.

Like my parents, I had moved to pursue my dreams and I was scared. But my mom always reminded me why I chose this profession in the first place: “Para ayudar a los demás.”

To help others.

At that newspaper, I reported on protests, political races, immigration, inequities, and community issues. Now, as a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, I’m combining my personal experiences and journalism expertise to tell the stories of Newark students and help their families navigate New Jersey’s largest public school system.

Chalkbeat Newark reporter Jessie Gómez takes a picture with her parents during her college graduation.

It took a village to get me to college, and I am thankful for the teachers that supported me along the way and believed in me when I didn’t. I am grateful to my parents who were a constant source of encouragement in my life. Without them, I would have never developed the drive to be the best student — and person — I could be.

A fair education is the right of every child in this country. My parents gave me that opportunity by moving to a new country. Now, my goal is for my reporting to contribute to a better learning environment and experience for students in Newark Public Schools.

As we settle into the new year, I look forward to connecting with more parents, students, and teachers as I work to highlight the victories and challenges faced by students in this district.

Your story matters, and I hope you can trust me to tell it.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools promised $1K bonus for employees but per diem staff say they were left out

2022-12-22T15:30:59+00:00

At the last Newark board of education meeting of the year, dozens of teachers wore green — a symbol, they said, of bonuses from which they had been excluded.

Some of the teachers who attended Tuesday’s meeting are per diem employees — staffers that work as needed for the school district — who say they were left out of a $1,000 “Let’s Go To Work!” payment given to full-time staff. The Newark Teachers Union says the bonus should include per diem staff who have worked during the pandemic and beyond, but district leaders argue that the union did not negotiate the bonus for them.

“From my understanding that was a negotiation that was supposed to happen with your union rep so we will see what is supposed to happen,” said Board President Dawn Haynes during the December board meeting. “It was not negotiated for the per diem.”

Superintendent Roger León announced the $1,000 “Let’s Go To Work!” payment during a convocation held in September for all district employees as he thanked staff for their “dedication, contributions, courage, and commitment to excellence during these most unusual times,” according to a press release the school district issued following the event.

In an email to Chalkbeat Newark on Wednesday, district spokesperson Nancy Deering said the “Let’s Go To Work!” payment was a “retention strategy for full-time employees.”

“All staff who worked during the pandemic were compensated for their services and we remain extremely appreciative of all that they did during the most difficult of times,” Deering added.

Newark shut down schools from April 2020 until September 2021, when the return to in-person learning prompted concern among parents, students, and teachers who were at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus during that time. Shortly after, the district was forced to shut down schools again as COVID-19 cases surged in December of that year.

Arie Fiekowsky started working as a teacher for Newark in September 2020 when schools were still shut down and virtual learning became the new normal. As a new teacher, Fiekowsky upgraded her home internet to the highest speed to avoid interruptions in her connection, she said at the board meeting. Once schools slowly reopened, she went back to teaching in person but got sick with COVID, she added.

“All this to say, as a young person with little savings that $1,000 was very important to me,” Fiekowsky told board members.

The Newark Teachers Union has roughly 2,000 per diem classroom aides and teachers who are members, said Michael Maillaro, the union’s director of research and communication.

During the convocation, León welcomed 600 new teachers, according to the district. But from May to October of this year, 325 employees resigned, compared to the 268 instructional staffers who quit in 2021 during the same months, according to data from the teachers union. The union also counted 83 retirements between May and October of this year, compared to 74 retirements in 2021 during the same period.

In November, another 41 members resigned, according to union data.

Newark Teachers Union president John Abeigon said the bonuses announced at the beginning of the year “were not part of negotiations when the current union contract reopened last spring.”

“These bonuses come from the superintendent, not from us,” Abeigon said. “Why would the union do that to its own members? Our sole way of raising money is through union dues, and the board wants to say we would neglect our very own members?”

Alina McKnight also spoke during Tuesday’s meeting and said her workload “is just the same as a teacher” and her duties are the same as other teachers. McKnight is a per diem bilingual chemistry high school teacher who was hired in 2021.

“If you could go ahead and look at the policy again of what it is to be a per diem teacher, I would love for you to do that because we definitely need the guidance and assistance,” said McKnight during public comments.

A per diem classroom aide at an elementary school in the district who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation told Chalkbeat Newark that “there are a lot of injustices going on here” and she is afraid to speak out for her rights.

“We’re the ones that live here in Newark and we were the ones working on the frontlines when we were in the middle of a pandemic — we never stopped working,” the classroom aide said. “So why are we being ignored?”

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

‘I want Black students to feel valued’: Newark Global Studies students describe pattern of racism

2022-12-15T11:00:00+00:00

When Brenda Brown read what the Newark School of Global Studies had to offer, she knew her son had to go.

Brown’s son, Terril Coley, was excited about being immersed in a high school that offered a global perspective, where he could study different cultures and prepare to study abroad in Taiwan or the Middle East. It seemed like a good deal for a young Black man from Newark, but three years after starting at Global Studies, Coley is about to transfer out after enduring racism and harassment from his peers.

During last month’s board of education meeting, Coley spoke out about the ongoing harassment and described being bullied in front of his teacher and classmates because of the color of his skin.

“I was called a ‘smart chimpanzee’ in my English class,” said Coley to district leaders during the board meeting.

Interviews with students, parents, and teachers reveal a pattern of racist harassment at Global Studies against Black students, who are the minority at the school where Hispanic students make up 70% of the student body, according to state enrollment data from last fall.

Black students and parents at the school have complained to school and district leaders but describe an administration that isn’t taking the situation seriously enough. They have also said there are delays in reporting incidents to parents and lax enforcement of disciplinary action against offending students, forcing some parents such as Brown to transfer their children out of the school. Community leaders say leaving these issues unattended could lead to further strife between the groups of students.

The ongoing harassment prompted one student to start the Black Student Union and rally his peers to speak out at the November school board meeting.

Black Student Union members and their parents are calling for a leadership change at the school, specifically a replacement for principal Nelson Ruiz, and stronger policies to prevent and discipline students who engage in racism.

The district’s student discipline policy, which was revised in July 2022, notes that “the school district will not tolerate acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying.”

District spokesperson Nancy Deering, Global Studies Principal Nelson Ruiz, and Vice Principal Hoda Abdelwahab did not respond to requests for comment.

Global Studies first opened its doors in 2020 welcoming 114 ninth graders to the high school where they study diplomacy, learn Arabic, or take courses in economics while gaining fluency in Chinese culture and language. Of those students, more than half identified as Hispanic, while 31% identified as Black at the time. Last school year, the number of Black students dropped to 26% while Hispanic students rose to 70%, according to state enrollment data from last fall.

Enrollment data for this school year is not available, but Black students say representation on campus has declined due to “consistent instances” of racism against them, according to David Allen, a junior at the high school who founded the school’s Black Student Union at the end of last year.

Allen, who is also student body president, said he started the club to give Black students a safe space on campus. The fact that the club wasn’t created when the school opened is “telling of the culture” within the school, he said.

“The issues that happened last year were a lot more verbally violent,” Allen told Chalkbeat Newark while describing the threats and racial slurs he’s heard from his peers over the years. “But it’s also been a little ostracizing because, obviously, people know that the few Black students are the ones that are reporting the racism.”

The incident targeting Coley this October sparked outrage with his peers and mother, who said it took days until the school told her what had happened even after the teacher who witnessed the incident filed a report with administrators. It took nearly three weeks until administrators met with Brown on Nov. 3 and took action, which ultimately resulted in the suspension of one student, Brown said.

The frustration felt by Black students reached a tipping point at the end of last school year when Allen’s best friend, a Black and Muslim student, was called a racial slur used against Black people and a terrorist as they were walking down the hallway. The student who insulted Allen’s best friend was previously suspended for two days for using similar language against another student, Allen said.

“He still says the same things, so obviously, the disciplinary action wasn’t severe enough,” Allen said of the student who said the slurs. “People need to be disciplined for these things. Like, it’s not just words, these kinds of things can lead to violence on both parts.”

D’Renna Johnson is the director of the Newark Community Street Team’s Safe Passage program, which helps students get to and from school safely. Johnson said it’s important for schools to cultivate a space of trust so students feel comfortable reporting instances of bullying or harassment.

The Street Team, a community-based organization that works on violence reduction strategies, also monitors conflicts between students and works to intervene in instances of harassment, intimidation, and bullying before they lead to violence.

“As an adult, our responsibility is to try to get in front of that situation,” Johnson said.

In the past, the Street Team has dealt with racial conflicts among high schoolers and has heard of students calling on “older brothers and sisters to handle things in a dangerous way” or other adults who may resort to violence to settle issues, Johnson said. The Street Team resolves issues by bringing students together to talk about their differences before conflict can turn into physical confrontation, Johnson said.

“Let’s come to a medium where we could coexist together in this city and know that we’re not going to cause each other any harm,” Johnson added.

Allen’s best friend is the daughter of Newark’s board of education president Dawn Haynes and no longer attends the high school due to the ongoing racism she experienced at the school, Haynes said. Her daughter, a “super honor roll” student and the former student body secretary, did not feel comfortable continuing her education at the school, Haynes said.

“If a child’s school is not welcoming, how are they going to learn?” said Haynes to Chalkbeat Newark.

Administrators slow to address complaints about racism

Before the incident with his best friend, Allen recalled, a group of students made racist jokes about blackface and Black stereotypes in his history class last year.

The district’s Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying policy require the high school’s two anti-bullying specialists to investigate “any gesture, written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it is single incident or series of incidents,” reported to administrators, especially if the incident “is perceived as being motivated by race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation,” among other characteristics.

Prior to the incident with his best friend in June, Allen and four of his friends compiled audio recordings of students using racial slurs during class and made a list of instances when Black students faced harassment and reported it to the school’s vice principal, Hoda Abdelwahab, last November. She promised she would investigate the situation, Allen said.

After turning in their compilations to administration last fall, Allen said the harassment continued from the same group of students. According to Allen, he and his best friend met with administration in June to report the racial slurs said in the hallway. That’s when they found out it was the first time administrators were hearing about the racism they were experiencing, Allen added.

“We found out that she never shared any of what we shared with her with the rest of the administration,” Allen said. “So, this is kind of a pattern with them. They’ll pretend they’re going to do something, and then kind of just sweep it under the rug and pray for the best and hope it just goes away.”

Allen was part of the group that attended the November board of education meeting and, like Coley, he told board members how he and his friends have been called “the n-word, a monkey, a slave, a caricature.”

At the November board meeting, Superintendent Roger León made a promise to fix the problems at Global Studies and visited the high school the following day to chat with Allen and other students, Allen said. But three weeks since students presented their concerns to the district, there has been no change, Allen added.

“It’s unacceptable today, in the past, and tomorrow for you to be raising an issue that adults are supposed to fix. You will help us fix it, but I promise you, it will be fixed,” said León to Allen during the November board meeting.

A teacher at Global Studies who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation said they see how the situation is “psychologically damaging” to Black students. During lunchtime, the teacher said they have seen Black students sitting alone. When asked why they seem sad, students say they feel uncomfortable at school. The teacher said parents, educators, and students have tried to handle these issues internally, but nothing has changed.

“The kids tried, they’ve been trying for years while they were there and the adults who were put there in charge to take care of them and make sure they’re treated fairly turned a blind eye to stuff,” the teacher said.

Johnson, a Newark native, said she hopes administrators can find solutions to the racist harassment Black students are describing because “she loves her community” and the people that make up her city.

“Keeping our kids safe is our priority because there’s so much stuff going on in this world, so much stuff going on in the city,” Johnson said.

In the meantime, Allen, the Global Studies junior, says he is juggling roles as student body president and founder of the Black Student Union, as well as a busy schedule and heavy class load, so he can only do so much to help. He hopes the district and leaders at his school find a way to make the experience of Black students better at the high school.

“They handle these matters the way a lot of non-Black people do. It’s very uncomfortable to talk about race, very uncomfortable. I understand that,” Allen said. “But the conversations are important, especially when they’re not being had.”

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.