Wilson Avenue School to Reopen Mid-January

Wilson Avenue School in Newark will reopen. That's the latest word from state and city officials who gathered with irate parents and students Monday night at East Side High School to unveil a two-phase plan for the opening. The school has been because of extensive mold and water damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene.

Phase one, which will end tentatively in mid-January, or about 90 days, will see the school's interior renovated, according to Steve Morlino, executive director of facilities for Newark Public Schools.

He said damage from the storm will be fixed by installing new windows, new drop ceilings and painting walls.

"We will return you a school that will be as water-tight as we can make it," he said.

But Morlino and Cami Anderson, the Newark schools superintendent, cautioned that the schedule may be pushed back due to unknown conditions that workers may find in the school, such as in the ceilings.

"We will give phase one in writing," Anderson assured. "There will be weekly reports through email."

Phase two will involve additional work to the exterior, said Marc Larkins, chief executive officer of the state . There will be work on the roof, foundation and masonry, as well as the installation of new windows.

Phase two should be completed during next summer, before the start of the 2012 school year, Larkins said.

"We have people out there investigating the building," he said.

Since the closure, more than 700 displaced students from grades one through eight have been going to Quitman Street School in the Central Ward and St. Anthony's School in Belleville, .

About 18 months ago, the school had previously closed for five months because of faulty pumps and gas in the ground water infiltrating into the building. This time, water has been leaking into the building and causing mold to grow — even encouraging nine-inch mushrooms, said state Assemblyman Alberto Coutinho (D-Essex), who helped plan Monday's meeting.

"While it's not an optimal solution, given realities, it's in the best interest of the children," Coutinho said. "I am relatively satisfied that the state will live up to its responsibilities.

David Corso, assistant commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Education, said Acting Department of Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf will help along the process.

"His main concern is the health and safety of the children," said Corso about Cerf.

But many in the audience were not satisfied with the plans.

"We are tired. Our schools are museums. Out of any ward, we don't have new schools," said Luis Correia, an uncle and godfather to some Wilson Avenue students, echoing many parents' calls for a new school. He was one of more than 100 parents and students at the meeting.

"Buildings deteriorate from one week to another," said Victor Goncalves, president of the Wilson Avenue School Parent Action Committee, which has been pushing the school to be reopened.

Goncalves called for a full investigation into the maintenance department of the Newark Public Schools and why Wilson Avenue School has been allowed to deteriorate. He also called for the results to be made public.

"We are not engineers," he said. "We are just parents who just want the best for our kids."

Some of the parents in the audience called for the students to be brought back to the Ironbound area and housed in temporary structures or at other schools, but officials at the meeting said there is no room.

"It's pretty sad," said Goncalves' daughter, Jessica, 13. "We pay our taxes to be at a convenient location."

Eliana Pintor, the school advisory board chairwoman, said she wished the meeting's discussion touched on the loss of class time due to the extra hours kids endure during their elongated trips back and forth from their temporary schools.

"We have to make sure there's adequate class time," she said.