2 Newark Teachers Vindicated After Arbitration, Will Keep Tenure

NEWARK, NJ — Two longtime teachers in the Newark Public School District will retain their tenure after they were retaliated against because of their involvement in a labor union, arbitrators recently ruled.

The two teachers were employed at Rafael Hernandez School, where their principal alleged that their performance was “inefficient” in evaluations during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years – leading to the district’s attempt to fire them.

Both cases went before arbitrators, who determined there was evidence that anti-union bias led to the charges of inefficiency.

An arbitrator dismissed one of the cases on Sept. 18. The other tenure charge was dismissed on Nov. 27.

The educators are both entitled to backpay and benefits for the period they were on an unpaid suspension while awaiting a decision on the tenure charges, according to the Newark Teachers Union.

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