Newark Students Will Return To Longer School Days, Air Conditioning

NEWARK, NJ — Newark public school students will be spending more time in class this year

Administrators in the Newark Public School District recently released a new universal schedule for 2024-2025. It adds roughly 20 minutes to students’ days.

Previously, students’ hours in kindergarten through Grade 8 were 8:25 a.m. to 2:55 p.m., and high school students’ hours were 8:15 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. Now, all students – kindergarten through the 12th grade – will have school days that will run from 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

The universal schedule is part of a June work agreement reached between Newark Public Schools and the Newark Teachers Union. See Related: Teachers Agree On New Contract With Newark Public School District

Here are some reasons why the new schedule is an improvement, according to the Newark Board of Education:

• Increased Instructional Time – “There will be additional student contact time totaling 7.5. days over the school year, which will provide more student learning opportunities.”
• Increased Tutoring Time – “Elementary schools will benefit from an additional 30 hours of annual tutoring time integrated into the school days, supporting student achievement and growth.”
• Streamlined Operations – “A unified schedule across all schools will improve efficiency in delivering educational services and facilitate better coordination throughout the district.”
• Paraprofessionals’ and Teachers’ Work Hours Aligned – “All paraprofessionals—including teacher aides, parent liaisons, and educational interpreters—will work the same schedule as teachers, ensuring uniformity in support roles.”
• Lunch Periods With Class Periods – Lunch periods will be consistent with regular class periods, promoting a more organized and effective school day structure.”

AIR CONDITIONERS

During last week’s Newark Board of Education meeting, officials said that headway is being made on a long-running issue in the hotter months: a lack of air conditioning.

The district has ordered 1,300 air conditioning units, about 1,180 of which have been received and the rest of which are expected to arrive later in August. Nearly 900 air conditioners have been installed so far.

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