State Control of Newark Schools to be Discussed Thursday

Members of the school advisory boards of Newark, Jersey City and Paterson will attend a special meeting in Newark Thursday to discuss the ongoing state management of the districts.

Newark’s public school system, New Jersey’s largest, has been run by the state since the mid-1990s. The district was taken over after it was deemed to be a “failing” district based on benchmarks like students performance and fiscal stability. The Jersey City and Paterson districts are also run by the state.

Officials will discuss the “Quality Single Accountability Continuum,” or QSAC, which is a list of criteria used to assess the performance of the public schools.

The benchmark is controversial in Newark and the other districts among those  who argue that it is being used to keep the districts under state control.Newark, Paterson and Jersey City all have advisory boards that have less power than traditional boards of education and the districts' superintedents are appointed by the state. 

Guest speakers will include David Sciarra of the Education Law Center and state Sen. Ron Rice, who has proposed legislation that would expedite the handover of school district control back to local officials. 

The meeting begins at 7 pm at Science Park High School, 260 Norfolk St.

“This meeting is a significant sign that school board and community leaders in Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson are communicating and unifying. We serve similar communities, face similar challenges, and are struggling to overcome the same roadblocks perpetuated by the long-term State Control of our schools,” said Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, advisory board chairperson in Newark.  “This meeting is the first of a series designed to educate and organize ourselves and interested community members.”