Garcia, Council, James-Frison Win Spots On Newark School Board

NEWARK, NJ — Josephine Garcia, Hasani Council and Allison James-Frison have emerged victorious for spots on the board of education in Newark’s 2023 school election, results show.

On Monday, the Essex County Clerk’s Office updated its results for the April 25 election in Newark, noting that all 172 districts in the city have now been reported.

This year, eight candidates ran for three seats on the board of education. Terms on the Newark Board of Education last for three years.

Garcia, Council and James-Frison were elected to the board by wide margins, the results show:

• Josephine Garcia – 3,119 votes (23.14%)
• Hasani Council – 3,216 votes (23.86%)
• Allison James-Frison – 2,974 votes (22.06%)
• James Wright Jr. – 1,168 votes (8.66%)
• Thomas Luna – 1,115 votes (8.27%)
• Tawana Johnson-Emory – 914 votes (6.78%)
• Latoya Jackson – 583 votes (4.32 %)
• Ade’Kamil Kelly – 392 votes (2.91%)

Garcia and Council – both current members of the school board – ran on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate with James-Frison, who ran for the board last year but came up empty-handed.

Their slate was backed by a large roster of elected officials in the Newark area, including Mayor Ras Baraka, every city council member and several state lawmakers who represent Newark in the Legislature.

Garcia, Council and James-Frison each posted messages about their election-day wins on social media.

“I am truly humbled and honored to serve our families,” Garcia wrote. “This will now be my third term serving the families and students of Newark. This has been one of the most fulfilling positions, I have worked for my entire life, and this will afford me the opportunity to continue our progress for the children and their families and for the great City of Newark.”

Council wrote that it “takes a village to raise a child,” and said “for 26 years of my life I had a village mentoring me and supporting my every endeavor.”

“We have a lot of work to do to continue in moving our school system forward and I will be dedicated to making sure our students receive the best and are high achieving,” Council added.

James-Frison said the election was a personal triumph after running an independent campaign in 2022, which continued this year – but this time with the support of an entire campaign team.

“I prayed and asked God to multiply my supporters three-fold,” she wrote. “Here we are one year later with a victorious win.”

“I lost some supporters because of who I was affiliated with and I tried to regain their support,” James-Frison added. “However, what I realized is that either they were with me or against me – either way I was going to make it to the finish line.”

Garcia, Council and James-Frison faced challenges from the “Newark Kids Forward” slate, which featured Tawana Johnson-Emory, James Wright Jr. and Thomas Luna, who also ran in 2022. The candidates also include Ade’Kamil Kelly, who is running under the “We Deserve Better” slogan, and Latoya Jackson, who didn’t list a slogan as part of the filing paperwork.

BUDGET PASSES

Voters also got a chance to cast a “yes” or “no” ballot for the Newark Public School District budget. The public question read: “RESOLVED, that there should be raised for General Funds $138,314,942 for the ensuing School Year (2023-24).”

Here are the unofficial results, according to the Essex County Clerk’s Office:

• YES – 2,785 votes (86.65%)
• NO – 429 votes (13.35%)

The Newark Board of Education held a hearing and approved the district’s proposed spending plan on March 29. Under the budget, the school portion of Newark homeowners’ taxes will drop by $15 per year for the average property valued at $175,000, coming in at $1,936. Read More: Newark Will Vote On School Budget In 2023 Election (What To Know)

The school levy made up about 31 percent of the average Newark homeowner’s property taxes last year. Read More: Average Property Tax Bill In Newark Is Growing, Latest Data Shows

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