Newark Voters Will Pick Own School Board (Early Election Results)

NEWARK, NJ — It’s a big victory for number two in Newark, early election results say.

As part of Tuesday’s General Election, Newark voters were asked to weigh in for an important, school-related question that will determine the inner workings of their Board of Education… should Newark be a "type 1" or "type 2" district?

In a type 1 district, BOE members are appointed by the mayor, and the school budget determined by the Board of School Estimate. In a type 2 district, BOE members are elected by the voters. Three at-large school board members are elected each April. Budgets are determined by BOE members and approved by voters.

With 145 of 162 districts reported as of Wednesday, Newark voters seem to have overwhelmingly chosen to elect their own BOE members, as opposed to handing the duty to the mayor. Here are the unofficial results, according to the Essex County Clerk’s Office:

• TYPE 1 (BOE appointed by mayor) – 4,769 votes (24.27%)
• TYPE 2 (BOE elected by voters) – 14,879 votes (75.73%)

The election of local school board members is a pressing issue for a school district that recently celebrated the return of local control after more than two decades of state oversight.

• See related article: Newark Celebrates 1st Day Of School Under Local Control (PHOTOS)

Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, has been an advocate of having an elected school board (type 2). And in a recent “mock election,” more than 3,000 Newark public school students gave a massive thumbs-up to the idea of a type 2 district.

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Photo: City of Newark Press Office (Mayor Ras Baraka speaks to Newark public school students, Sept. 2018)