After $5M In Ida Storm Damage, Newark Schools Open On Schedule

NEWARK, NJ — When the flood waters from Hurricane Ida had receded and Newark public school workers got a look at the damage, there was a thought that passed through some of their minds: How will we get this fixed by opening day? But with some serious elbow grease and a hardcore dedication, Newark’s 65 schools were able to open for the first day of class on time this week.

It wasn’t easy, administrators said.

According to the Newark Board of Education:

“The district suffered catastrophic damage during Hurricane Ida that required major cleanup and restoration action to be taken. As a result, a district-wide emergency was declared to the state of New Jersey. Here is some of the damage we suffered: a fire, a fallen tree at the entry of a school, 33 flooded buildings (including 11 boilers, 14 basements, and 21 other areas such as gymnasiums, libraries, wings of schools, and classrooms), and one of our two data information system servers rendered inoperable. In three schools, the gymnasium floors buckled because of water infiltration and will need to be replaced. Our cost estimate thus far is $5 million, which does not include replacement of instructional supplies, equipment, and building systems, remediation, structural repairs, and the installation of the three new gymnasium floors.”

Here's what happened next, the board said:

“To immediately combat these issues, equipment for the removal of water was rented or purchased, and an aggressive strategy to prevent the growth of mold and mildew was implemented with purchased technical services. We implemented contingency plans as a temporary strategy to address academic programming needs throughout our schools as a result of the impact of the storm. While the majority of the facilities were ready to receive children prior to the storm, every school required additional attention after the storm in preparation for Tuesday’s successful first day of school.”

“Just like other school districts, we should not have been able to open, but we did,” board members stated. “We opened on day one because of our incredible staff.”

Board President Dawn Haynes applauded employees for putting the district’s needs above their own – and those of their families and homes, as well.

“They did not want to let anyone down, especially the children, and they did not,” Haynes said. “While always putting the health and safety of children and staff first, they saw the return to in-person instruction as the only viable alternative over everything.”

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“We applaud the entire facilities department, all of the trades staff, every custodial team across the 65 schools, executive staff, principals, school administrators, teachers, and staff for their valiant efforts,” Superintendent Roger León concurred.

As he has done in years past, León kicked off the new school year with a district-wide convocation, where he shared the state of the district, reviewed local data and celebrated accomplishments.

During the convocation, he also charged staff with the “Give Me 5 Campaign,” where each employee is assigned five students and makes courtesy calls to their homes, reminding families of the first day of school and motivating them to start the school year strong.

“The last eighteen months have been like no other,” León said. “This will be another banner school year.”

All school buildings will continue to be contactless sites and all staff and students will follow the district’s ingress procedures and school egress procedures, which includes wearing masks.

• See related article: Newark Schools Hold Firm On Masks As Delta Variant Hits NJ
• See related article: Newark Public Schools Start Year With 350 New Teachers

Smile-inducing videos and photos of the first day back to school flooded social media on Tuesday.

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