New Details Unveiled in Newark Shared Campus Plan

New details emerged Tuesday night of a shared campus plan that calls for the restructuring of the Newark Public Schools (NPS) system for 2011-12 school year.

Under the revised , presented by Superintendent Cami Anderson, Business Administrator Valerie Wilson and Director of Alternative Education Programs Dr. Vincent L. Mays at the advisory board business meeting, charter school TEAM SPARK will share a campus with George Washington Carver Elementary School come fall. It had originally been suggested that Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School would move into Carver, but that move was nixed because of student size. TEAM SPARK has fewer students than Sanford, according to Wilson.

"It was a matter of taking one out and plugging the other in," said Wilson, who noted Carver Principal Dr. Winston D. Jackson had already been working closely with the head of Sanford in anticipation of the move.

TEAM SPARK was originally slated to move into Eighteenth Avenue School.

On as Newark superintendent, Anderson with schools across the district, several public schools will be consolidated, and four new high schools will open, a comprehensive measure that has drawn heavy criticism from the public.

Parents angrily speculated Tuesday night the board was withholding information that Newark Bridges Academy would land at American History High School, though a location for the academy has not yet been decided. Newark Bridges Academy is a new, non-graded public school built on the Diploma Plus model found in urban areas across the nation.

"We wanted to give [American History Principal Robert Gregory] the opportunity to learn more about the program, to meet the [Bridges] principal, and to think through how to work with the community to see if it would work successfully," said Anderson. "We didn't want to put it out there because we felt we wanted to respect him and the leadership of the school."

YouthBuild Newark, a year-long program for low-income youth, was previously considered to occupy American History High School, according to Anderson.

Board member Juan Rivera questioned the logistics of the shared campus plan, noting a short timeframe in which to execute the consolidation and opening of multiple schools.

"I'm for what works ... but my point is, I'm not against the plan, but I have a question regarding the logistics and personnel issue over the next two months," said Rivera, mentioning a scheduling problem at Barringer High School last year. "Are we ready for September with all these schools?"

Noting the "unnecessary division" the either-or perspective on the charter and public schools debate creates within the community, board member Shavar Jeffries, who voiced his support for the shared campus plan, suggested the board examine and expand successful programs already in place within Newark public schools in conjunction with the new plan.

"I would hope we could really add on if these providers are doing great things for kids, and if we could do it in a way that's consistent with the things in-house we have to improve, then hopefully, we can have a more constructive conversation," said Jeffries.

Board member Marques-Aquil Lewis slammed administrators for being driven by a personal agenda and not involving the community during the planning process.

"I feel as though the Democratic process was ignored," said Lewis. "I just ask that in the future, we consider people's feelings, consider people's opinions because you can't say that our parents do not deserve the right to be involved in something concerning their child's education.

"It's sad because in this community," Lewis added, "We're using the charter schools versus the public schools like the Bloods versus the Crips."

Lease Agreements Detailed

The administration took into account services it would be providing to co-location and sole location tenants and broke down costs per-square-footage of the utilized building, according to Wilson.

Under co-location leases:

• Cost is calculated at $5.25 per square foot
• Charter schools must use NPS-provided security and food services paid for separately from the per-square-footage fee, in accordance with legal requirements
• Space occupied in building is subject to NPS inspection
• Tenants can provide their own custodial services

Under sole location leases:

• Cost is calculated at $2.50-3 per square footage
• NPS will not provide security, grass-cutting or snow removal services
• Buildings are for occupancy as-is, no capital improvements will be made by NPS
• Leases are a five-year term with option for renewal

Under both types of leases:

• Any renovation plans must be submitted and approved by the facilities department
• Renovations must be supervised by NPS staff
• Total anticipated annual revenue is $300,000 to $450,000, according to Wilson
• Escalation of 2.5 percent or Consumer Price Index (whichever is less) will occur on the third year of the lease
• The board reserves the right to refuse to renew a lease
• A building management council, including the schools' principals and other leadership, will be formed to coordinate common ground space and lunch periods

The advisory board will vote on the co- and sole location leases at the June 21 meeting.

to read more about the shared campus plan.

[Editor's note: An original version of this story published June 15 at 6 a.m.]