Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2] *Of K-12 districts with more than 3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=103
Headquarters
Newark Board of Education is a comprehensive community publicschool district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the city of Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The state took over the district in 1995—the third takeover statewide—and returned control in 2018, after 22 years.[3][4] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke[5] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.[6][7]
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising 63 schools, had an enrollment of 40,423 students and 2,886.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1.[1]
The total school enrollment in Newark city was 75,000 in 2003. Pre-primary school enrollment was 12,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 46,000 children. College enrollment was 16,000. As of 2003, 64% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 11% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 10 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.[8]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[9]
History
In 1948 schools were racially integrated. There were black teachers, all of whom classified by the district as "permanent substitutes", teaching all grade levels.[10]
The district is one of three districts in New Jersey (along with Jersey City Public Schools and Paterson Public Schools) that has historically been under "state intervention", which authorizes the state Commissioner of Education to intervene in governance of a local public school district (and to intervene in the areas of instruction and program, operations, personnel, and fiscal management).[11]Chris Cerf was the state appointed superintendent of Newark.[12] Cerf said he would resign on February 1, 2018, the day local control was returned to the district.[13]
Roger Leon, a life long Newark resident and educator was elected by the local school board to replace Cerf by a unanimous 9-0 vote and took office July 1, 2018.[14]
In a referendum held as part of the November 2018 general election, voters chose by a 3-1 margin to have the district function as Type II district, in which the board of education is elected by the residents of the city.[15][16]
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[17][18]
Roger Leon, district superintendent of schools
Valerie Wilson, school business administrator
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held as part of the April school election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[19] Of the nearly 600 school districts statewide, Newark is one of 12 districts with school elections in April, in which voters also decide on passage of the annual school budget.[20]
As per a decision by the Newark City Council on Wednesday January 17, 2024, the minimum voting age in school board elections is 16, effective April 2024.[22]
State intervention
The district was one of three districts in New Jersey historically under "state intervention", which authorizes the commissioner of education to intervene in governance of a local public school district (and to intervene in the areas of instruction and program, operations, personnel, and fiscal management) if the commissioner has determined that a school district failed or was unable to take corrective actions necessary to establish a thorough and efficient system of education.[11]
State intervention has been criticized as undemocratic and racist.[23][24] Some also have suggested that children were significantly harmed during state control.[25] State intervention in Newark has not produced significant gains after more than two decades of state control.[26][27] When viewed through the lens of student growth percentiles, which is a contested measure of growth, NPS may be higher. However, NPS may have had equally high growth before state intervention, so no comparisons are possible.
Chris Cerf and others paid by the state of New Jersey have suggested state control has been good for Newark.[28] However, no measures of the quality of NPS's broad offerings before, during, or after state intervention have been identified. No measures of progress are available for earth science, physics, biology, chemistry, health, citizenship, world history, US history, literature, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, New Jersey history, gender studies, media studies, Africana studies, economics, politics, astronomy, geology, philosophy, archaeology, or performing arts. No measures of students' physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, or emotional wellbeing are available before, during, or after state control. No measures of parental wellbeing have been identified.
Local control was returned as of February 1, 2018.[29]
Performance
The Newark Public Schools is the largest school system in New Jersey. The city's public schools had been among the lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government took over management of the city's schools from 1995-2018, which was done under the presumption that improvement would follow.
Although the school district continues to struggle with low high school graduation rates and low standardized test scores, the former mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, insisted in 2010, "Newark, New Jersey can become one of the first American cities to solve the crisis in public education."[30] This vision for better school district is also shared by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who made a $100 million donation to Newark Public Schools in 2010. "Every child deserves a good education. Right now that's not happening," he said.[31] The management has been criticized: while interviews with administration regarding Newark's schools were always positive, highlighting only the good aspects of the huge monetary donation, new contracts were being created, money was being hemorrhaged, and the district was going broke.[32][33] According to The New Yorker, Anderson, Booker, Zuckerberg, and Christie, "despite millions of dollars spent on community engagement—have yet to hold tough, open conversations with the people of Newark about exactly how much money the district has, where it is going, and what students aren't getting as a result."
Branch Brook Elementary School, a Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade school, was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence, during the 2004-05 school year.[35]
During the 2009-10 school year, Science Park High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence.[38]
For the 2005-06 school year, the district was recognized with the "Best Practices Award" by the New Jersey Department of Education for its "A Park Study: Learning About the World Around Us" Science program at Abington Avenue School. The curriculum was written, implemented, and submitted to the State of New Jersey by Abington Avenue School kindergarten teacher, Lenore Furman.[39]
After efforts at his dismissal as New Jersey's poet laureate, Amiri Baraka was named the school district's poet laureate in December 2002.[40]
New Jersey Regional Day School - Newark[109] (122; KG-12)
Larry Ramkissoon, principal
School uniforms
Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, students in elementary and middle school were required to wear school uniforms.[110] Beginning in September 2010 high school students were required to wear uniforms.[111]
^Yi, Karen. "Newark finally gets control of schools -- What we learned about N.J.'s state takeovers", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 1, 2018, updated April 2, 2019. Accessed March 26, 2022. "Chris Cerf departed the district Thursday as the last state-appointed superintendent. The exit marks the end of 22 years of state rule: Control of Newark schools has finally returned to the city.... New Jersey was the first state to takeover a school district when it assumed authority of Jersey City schools in 1989. Paterson would follow in 1991; Newark in 1995. Camden schools were taken over in 2013."
^What We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."
^Yi, Karen. "Newark to pick own schools chief for first time in 22 years", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 26, 2017. Accessed December 27, 2017. "The state-appointed superintendent for Newark schools will step down in February, paving the way for the district to select its own leader for the first time in 22 years. Superintendent Christopher Cerf announced last week he would resign on Feb. 1 -- the same day the state's takeover of Newark schools will officially end."
^Yi, Karen. "We want to elect school board members, not have the mayor do it, voters say", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 7, 2018, updated January 29, 2019. Accessed April 7, 2020. "The state ended its takeover of the Newark and Paterson school districts this year, leaving residents to decide the key question of how they want their schools to be run: by an elected school board or one appointed by the mayor.... With 90 percent of precincts reporting in Newark, 75 percent of 19,600 voters selected a Type II, or elected school board, compared to 25 percent who voted for a Type I school board appointed by the mayor."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Newark Board of Education, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2024. "The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels Pre-Kindergarten through 12. These include general, vocational, as well as special education services to students with disabilities and English language learners." See "Roster of Officials" on page 22.
^Sportelli, Albina. "Your guide to North Jersey spring school board elections", The Record, April 14, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2024. "Of New Jersey's almost 600 school districts, only 12 have elections in April, the rest have opted to hold theirs in November.... Schools that have kept elections in the spring, or switched back after moving them to November, are: Cliffside Park, Fairview, Passaic, Totowa, Fredon, Montague, Irvington, Newark, North Bergen, Weehawken, West New York and New Brunswick."
^Addison, Kasi; and Juri, Carmen. "Three Essex schools capture blue ribbon", The Star-Ledger, October 7, 2007. Accessed October 14, 2007. "Principals in three Essex County schools found out last week their buildings joined an exclusive club of exemplary schools when the U.S. Department of Education named the nation's latest batch of No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools.... The three Essex County schools are Oakview School in Bloomfield, Millburn High School and Harriet Tubman School in Newark."
^Jacobs, Andrew. "Criticized Poet Is Named Laureate of Newark Schools", The New York Times, December 19, 2002. Accessed September 19, 2008. "A longtime Newark resident who was pivotal in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, Mr. Baraka has ignored calls from Gov. James E. McGreevey and others that he resign the post, which pays a stipend of $10,000."
