Newark Regains Control Of Schools After 22-Year State Takeover

NEWARK, NJ — The last time that Newark had control of its local schools, there was no Harry Potter and people were still doing the Macarena.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Board of Education voted to return control to the locally-elected Newark school board. It’s a decision that local officials and school administrators applauded as a new chapter in the city’s history.

After taking over control of the district in 1995 due to allegations of severe mismanagement, the state has controlled several aspects of the Newark Public School District such as personnel, curriculum and programs, tying local administrators’ hands on many of the most important issues facing their schools.

But with the state BOE’s decision on Wednesday, all that is about to change, local officials say.

Newark Public School District officials said that the state BOE approved two resolutions during its meeting. The first resolution moves control of the final functional areas of Governance and of Instruction and Program, which were previously under state intervention, to the oversight of Newark School Board. The second resolution charges the Newark Public Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education to collaborate on the creation of a transition plan to full local control.

Wednesday’s vote comes after New Jersey Education Commissioner Kimberly Harrington recommended in August to return local control to Newark after a performance review demonstrated that progress had been sustained.

Newark school administrators released the following statement about the next steps in the process:

"In the coming months, a transition plan will be finalized by the New Jersey Department of Education and presented to the Newark School Advisory Board. The details that are outlined in the transition plan will determine the timeline for the return of responsibilities back to the Newark School Board. The transition plan will also outline other actions that must be taken, such as an eventual city-wide vote to determine if Newark will continue to have an elected school board or a school board appointed by the mayor."

“I commend the state board for finally recognizing the importance of returning the Newark school district back to local control,” said Senator Ronald Rice (D-Essex), co-chair of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools.

“The reality is that states cannot run school districts, and we have proven that in Newark, Paterson and Jersey City where the schools were held under state control for more than two decades,” Rice said.

However, he added that there is still a lot of work to be done.

“The transition process under QSAC must be adhered to and the Joint Committee on the Public Schools will be monitoring that process to be sure it is followed,” Rice said. “We will also need to address issues that have been created by the state, including the budget deficits that were the result of mismanagement by numerous state-appointed officials. Those problems cannot be handed over to the district with the expectation that they will be resolved without assistance from the state.”

Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), who serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee, called the decision a historic day for the City of Newark.

“The residents of Newark deserve to have a voice in their public education system and the ability to make decisions about their future, just as communities in towns and cities across this state,” Ruiz said.

“I want to congratulate the mayor, the school board, and all of the Newark residents who have been waiting many years for this moment,” Newark Superintendent Christopher Cerf said. "I look forward to working together in the coming months to collaborate on the transition plan to return all governing responsibilities to the Newark School Board in a stable way that successfully positions the district to continue to advance the learning and growth of all Newark students.”

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Photo: City of Newark Press Office, Flickr